Bloodpact
by Hotkitty
Summary: An unknown mission...an unknown era, when Sara is captured by the enemy will Merloch's memories keep at bay? or will he have to face the past he has hidden for so long... PLZ REVIEW!CHAPTER 14 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1 In which Sara arrives home

This is my first Merloch/Sara fic (actually its my first ever fic on fanfiction.net) so please cut me some slack I tried to make it good so heres the first chapter enjoy!  
  
Bloodpact

Chapter 1  


Sara walked home from school as her long pink hair was ruffled by the wind. 

Tony had been sick today and Flint had had to help Uncle Bernard with some important business so they had stayed home . 

Of course Tony would be thrilled to know he'd missed school today considering he'd missed a whole load of tests, difficult math equations and english essays due to the fact that Miss Iknow had come to school quite angry and put off this morning for a reason unknown to the student body.

Sara pondered over this as she turned the corner wondering why Miss Iknow had been in such a bad mood. Even though now that she thought about it there were only a few rare occasions Miss Iknow was actually in a good mood.

As she thought about it another thought suddenly crept into her mind, there hadn't been any missions recently and she was kind of missing them. 

It had been the boring same old same old. 

Also since there hadn't been any missions recently they all hadn't been together and had proper fun like they used to, the days had just been wasting away one by one.

But she knew what she really did miss and she fought with her mind to keep the thought out of her head but she couldn't because she truly did miss him. 

It had been ages since they had last seen each other, the last mission was who knows how long ago and that used to be the only time she'd see him, when it used to be the missions. 

Well apart from the time when she, Flint and Tony had visited him and given him the roses, after Bindi had become Bindimaster. Sara had now reached the Goodmans house, the door had been left ajar but she didn't notice. 

She had to many thoughts on her mind. 

She entered the house to find Gillian Grey, Uncle Bernard, Tony, Flint and, her stomach lurched, _him_ all staring wide eyed at the computer monitor. 

There was complete silence apart from the sounds of Uncle Bernard furiously tapping at the keyboard. '

'Wh-whats going on,'' she asked cutting the silence. 

They all turned their heads noticing that she was home.  
* TBC...  



	2. Chapter 2 i In which Merloch is summoned

THANX 4 THE 2 REVIEWS U'VE ENCOURAGED ME 2 WRITE MORE SO DON'T STOP READIN CUZ THERES MORE 2 GO!!  
  
Bloodpact  
  
Chapter 2; In which Merloch is summoned  
  
Merloch had been without a mission for quite some while now and was rather annoyed at the sheer boredom of it all. So when Miss Grey had sent him an urgent message demanding he'd come to her immediately he was more than happy to get outside for a while it wasn't as if he had anything better to do. When he arrived at the time bureau he found a very tensed up Miss Gillian Grey. ''Merloch you're here we must get to the Goodman's house immediately!'' she'd said ushering him to the entrance.  
  
Meroch followed her obediently realising that this wasn't the time to hassle her with silly questions. As they were on their way a thought suddenly occurred to him which brightened him up slightly. The thought that they were going to go to the Goodmans house which meant he would see Sara again. It had been a while since he'd last seen her.  
  
After a while they reached the Goodmans house and to his dismay she wasn't there but at school and oh how he longed to see her. When he came in he realised there was tension as Mr Goodman was furiously tapping at the keys and messages such as SYSTEM ERROR and THIS SERVICE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER flashed across the screen.  
  
''Mr Goodman I've brought Merloch Holmes, any success yet?'' said Gillian. ''No still nothing,'' he replied.  
  
The door was suddenly flung open as Tony and Flint entered the room.  
  
''Whats going on?'' asked Flint.  
  
''I was wondering the exact same thing,'' added Merloch looking towards Miss Grey and Mr Goodman.  
  
''We better tell them Gillian. They have a right to know since it does after all concern them and they will be involved.'' Gillian turned around and faced the bewildered boys infront of her.  
  
''Well...''  
  
TBC...  
  
PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAASSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEE REVIEW!! 


	3. Chapter 3: In which explanations are giv...

Thankyou for all the reviews THEY LIKE ME THEY REALLY LIKE ME(well they like my fic at least) I shall continue to post more if I can bother(I like to keep you all in suspense) There will be more Merloch/Sara parts shortly and there will also be time travelling in the upcoming chapter you'll also find out why its called Bloodpact. Also this chapter is mostly conversation so try to follow. So on with the fic!!!!!!!!  
  
Bloodpact Chapter 3; An Explanation  
  
"You mean there's been some sort of interference in the timeline?'' said Sara quite bewildered at what she'd just heard.  
  
"Yes there is something wrong and we cannot manage to access the timeline. All they left was a single portal. We've been running scans on it but cant manage to find where it leads to and what era it leads to."  
  
"So you know nothing about it."  
  
"Well not exactly we have some basic information."  
  
"And whats that?"  
  
"Well, that's the bit that involves you Sara Goodman. You see the hackers left this one portal saying that they'd restore the fabric of time back to normal if and only if we'd send them two detectives. They requested Merloch Holmes and as we've already found Merloch here is the only one able to get through the portal. Tony nor Flint can manage it. They said they wanted Merloch Holmes accompanied by a female. Now we've tried to get a various number of our female detectives through but none of them can manage to get through the process."  
  
"What do you mean by 'get through the process?'" asked Sara. At this small explanation Tony, Flint and Merloch had begun to listen very carefully. Obviously they hadn't been told this detail.  
  
Gillian continued with her explanation, "The hackers left a sort of code, a test if you wish to call it. You've got to place your hand onto a marked place on the portal entrance and on the monitor it will either say 'ACCESS DENIED' or 'ACCESS CONFIRMED' Only Merloch and the other person can get in. So we were thinking its possible that you might be able to get in."  
  
"I'll try," said Sara.  
  
Mr Goodman then pressed a few buttons on the keyboard and a doorway appeared out of no where. It was a metal door with a little screen on the top and carved on each side a handprint. Gillian then indicated one of them and Sara placed her hand into it. ACCESS CONFIRMED it said on the monitor in bold print. At that the door opened to reveal a portal.  
  
"I knew that would happen," said Gillian nervously glancing at the portal. "We've packed for you both. There is food in this basket and some of Sara's clothes in this one and we've got both of you communicators so that you can talk to us."  
  
She handed them two baskets and a watch each.  
  
Merloch and Sara nodded, then taking the two watches jumped onto Merlochs time cycle and into the unknown portal…………………………………  
  
TBC  
  
*Authors note; I know my chapters are very short but I'll try to make the next one longer you see they don't look that short on paper. 


	4. In which a servant obeys his master and ...

*Here it be chapter three(actually chapter 4 but I couldn't resist the rhyme even if it doesn't make sense) continue to R&R and if your wondering I've introduced new characters in this chapter and it is still to do with Flint the time detective.  
  
Bloodpact Chapter 4; The Arrival  
  
''Have they taken zee bait?'' asked the servant knowing not to trust his superior when it comes to remembering matters of such importance.  
  
His superior twirled the goblet in his hands putting it at angles that wouldn't really show the deep scarlet liquid that was resting in there.  
  
His face was shadowed by the immense darkness that surrounded him.  
  
The servant had always hated coming up here but he was always loyal to his master. He would have preferred anywhere else in the vast palace than this room. Whenever he came here it'd send shivers down his spine and give him that cold lonely feeling, that feeling of hatred, of dread and that thirst for blood.... that was probably the reason his master enjoyed this room so much.  
  
''Yes...the plan is unfolding quite nicely, step one is....complete,'' replied the master.  
  
He twirled his finger through the deep scarlet liquid, he then put his finger to his lips and tasted it,  
  
''Perfect, Bring me a refill servant and I shall consider sparing you pitiful life. Oh and bring me the sphere I shall have to see them myself.''  
  
The servant hurried off to obey his masters order and returned with a small mirror and a goblet.  
  
The master eagerly took the mirror and goblet then looked deeply into the glass.  
  
First all that was seen was his handsome face reflected in the shining glass. He admired his features for a few moments then took the goblet and lifted a drop of the scarlet liquid. The Master spilt the small drop onto the mirror surface and the glass began to whirl round and round in swirls like ripples in a lake.  
  
The swirls began to multiply and form shapes and a picture of something began to show. It was quite blurred at first and all that were seen were dim foggy outlines, but after a while the small blurs began to form shapes and features.  
  
The master looked carefully at the little shapes standing on the tall mountain above the raging waters, as the rain fell heavily on their drenched cloaks.  
  
''So, they have arrived,'' said the master an evil grin spread over his handsome young face he let out a cackle which made the servant shiver even more.  
  
''Sh-shall I s-send O-odaiya?'' asked the servant being careful on his wording as not to make the master angry.  
  
''That will not be necessary right yet. We shall let them get accustomed and homely in our fair land, probably leave them for a while,'' replied the master. ''So that we may catch them off guard.''  
  
He suddenly twisted his chair around and turned to the servant. ''How old is the girl?'' He asked focusing his cold eyes on the pitiful servant.  
  
''15, I think your majesty,'' replied the servant.  
  
''Even more perfect,'' hissed the master. ''You may leave now Mansiss, oh and I'm rather hungry so bring me my lunch straight away!''  
  
The servant left with both fear and surprise. Surprise with the fact that he'd used the servant's name and fear of what would happen if he wasn't quick enough.  
  
The servant quickly dashed into the kitchen and hurriedly ordered Rose to hand over the master's lunch.  
  
Rose handed him the tray and shot a disapproving glare towards him, which he most flatly ignored.  
  
As he left she turned to Cathy,  
  
''These servants have no manners these days and neither does the new master!'' She exclaimed her young rosy face red from anger.  
  
Cathy brushed back a lock of dark brown hair.  
  
''Well you have to admit the new master is rather dashing,'' she said rolling up the dough. ''Especially more dashing than the last one all he was, was a bag of old wrinkles.''  
  
''Hey, don't let the family hear you say something like that, they'd turn you out suspecting that you were some sort of spy who was planning to start a rebellion.''  
  
''What? A rebellion.''  
  
''Oh I can tell that you must be new to these parts. Well you've got a lot to learn Catherine and your still young enough to learn it.''  
  
''But you're only about 5,6 years older than me,'' said the young 15 year old.''  
  
''Yes but I've got more experience now hurry with that dough we've got to have this ready for tonight's feast and the young mistress shall be inspecting soon!'' Exclaimed Rose.  
  
''Will you girls quit chatting and get back to work!'' Screamed one of the older cooks in a frustrated tone.  
  
''Its going to rain,'' said Merloch. ''We better find some shelter.''  
  
Sara stepped out of the portal and almost suddenly her clothes grew longer and transformed into a long magenta dress.  
  
Merloch turned around, ''You look nice but I don't recall you wearing that when we came here,'' he commented.  
  
''Thanks but I'm not really into dresses.''  
  
She reached for the basket which contained her clothes and pulled out a pair of jeans.  
  
As soon as she took them out they grew longer and also became a dress this time lilac with frilly cuffs.  
  
''It seems you don't really have a choice,'' said Merloch taking the dress and looking at it carefully. ''Now come on we better use the communicators to tell them we've arrived safely.''  
  
As soon as he said this the rain suddenly began to pour down.  
  
''I think we better find shelter first. There looks like there's a village up on that cliff.'' They took the two baskets and made their way up the mountain.  
  
*** TBC... AUTHORSNOTE: longer than usual ennit!! Well there is much more to come so plz don't abandon me now and continue reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! R&R this chapter because I love reading ur reviews and I'd like to thank all the people who have been supporting me so far and continue supporting me!!!! 


	5. In which Sara and Merloch find a place t...

A/N I know that I took a while but here it finally is chapter 5 I have two excuses 1. It took me a while to write this and 2. I was experiencing errors with the computer and fanfiction.net wasn't loading!!!!! Enjoy and once again Thanx 4 the reviews u've inspired me!!!!!!!!!! Oh and I think this ones going to turn out about as long as the last.  
  
Bloodpact Chapter 5; In which Merloch and Sara find a place to stay  
  
The rain fell heavily as Merloch and Sara trudged up the hill their clothes drenched and shivering to the bone.  
  
There was a village in the distance but it would take a good half hour to reach it.  
  
Nearer to them than the village was a small house at the top of the hill and they had decided they'd ask for shelter there.  
  
It was hard for Sara to walk in the cold storm due to the fact that her satin dress was sagging down beneath her and it was like carrying a load. Merloch had given her his cape to keep her warm because he had already stated that 'vampires do not feel the cold as much as humans do' so he was perfectly fine only a bit wet.  
  
As they made their way up the hill Merloch couldn't help feeling a slight feeling of recognition as he gazed down at the village far ahead.  
  
He looked further behind the village and felt a sudden cold dreading sensation as he saw a great black castle with many towers right behind the village.  
  
It wasn't that clear since it was so far away but it was obviously big with lots of tall towers and a moat around it.  
  
''Merloch what are you looking at? Come on!!!! We're going to catch a- achoo!!!! A c-achoo! Coldachoo!!!'' Said Sara shivering and furiously trying to get up the muddy slope resulting in her falling face forwards in the mud and leaving her dress unusually brown.  
  
Merloch hurried to catch up seeing that Sara was in a moment of distress and he shouldn't bother her by being slow.  
  
After about 5 more minutes they reached the small house and Merloch tapped on the door and waited for someone to open it.  
  
The door was opened by a pretty young girl who looked about 18. Her hair was long, dark brown and tied in a braid behind her back. She wore a long dress much like Sara's only brown. She was shocked at first to see a young lady covered in mud and a blue boy -who resembled someone she knew but she just couldn't put her finger on it- standing at her door asking for shelter but after Merloch explained that they were 'travellers' on a long journey and that they needed a place to stay she let them in.  
  
''So what may I call you by?'' she asked after treating them to some warm soup and showing Sara where to change her muddy clothes.  
  
''I am Merloch and the young lady accompanying me is Sara,'' he replied, ''And you?''  
  
''I am Elise and my husband who shall be home shortly is James. Now I shall give you and your lady the spare room, I'll show you where it is in a moment and I hope you don't mind there is only the small four poster in that room so you'll have to share but seeing as she is your lady I don't see that as much of a problem. You warm up by the fire for a moment Merloch while I go and prepare for James' supper.''  
  
With that she left the small room.  
  
So it was just as Merloch had thought at the first sight of this place. They'd unluckily been transported to an era in which a girl and boy of their age couldn't travel together as just friends and this Elise thought that Sara was his wife or something and if he said she wasn't his wife then Elise would think badly of them.  
  
After a while there was a patter at the door. Elise hurried to open it to reveal a young man of around 19. He had fair hair and green eyes, he was rather handsome and wore a cape and a large hat.  
  
''Its pouring down out their Elle I just hope you've made something warm for supper.'' He then spotted Merloch and before he could say anything Elise started to explain about them being travellers in the rain.  
  
''I've sent his lady Miss Sara upstairs to get changed you see she was in quite a state after travelling in this weather for so much time, well I best go get your supper you two get acquainted whilst I'm gone.'' With that she hurried out of the room.  
  
At first they said nothing but after a while James began asking him questions about where he worked and Merloch would give quick made up answers.  
  
After a while James began to ask about Sara.  
  
''So do you have any children yet? Me and Elle are a bit late you see, most people at our age have at least two but Elle's just pregnant at the moment.''  
  
''No, no we have no children yet. You see since Sara and I travel so much we've decided not to settle down yet,'' replied Merloch trying to hide his embarrassment.  
  
Meanwhile Elise had gone upstairs to see to Sara.  
  
Sara had now changed into a beautiful long lilac dress with lots of little purple roses lined along the cuffs. She was wearing a locket and Elise had given her some suitable shoes. Elise then made her way downstairs to fetch Merloch.  
  
When Merloch came up he first sat on the bed.  
  
''Sara..'' he began.  
  
''Hmmmn.''  
  
''I know this is silly but when I was downstairs I talked to Elise and James and apparently they think that your 'my lady'''  
  
''Whats that meant to mean?'' asked Sara .  
  
''Well we've got to pretend we're married but only for a short space of time. You can have the four poster and I'll make myself a bed on the floor.''  
  
''You sure. You know I don't really mind sleeping on the floor.''  
  
''No its more than right that the lady gets the bed.''  
  
And with no further argument Merloch made himself a bed on the floor and they both fell sound asleep and oblivious to the fact that someone was watching them...  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: So what did you think? I quite liked that little cliffhanger I left it at and you'll find out more about 'the master' from chapter 4 in a little while. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask them and I'll answer(if I know the answer myself) in the next chapter. 


	6. Settling in

A/N I know that I took absolutely aaaaaaaaaaaggggggggeeeeeeeesssssssss to update but ive noticed that no other author is updating either and that my story remains at the top of the list.  
  
Well anywayz if I don't get at least 7 reviews for this chapter im not updating so until I get 7 reviews no chapter 7 (mwhahahaha another excuse not to update)  
  
Another reason I took so long to update is that I keep getting Gateway Timeouts on my browser.  
  
Also I know that my chapters are short but I cant make them any longer because if I make them to long I get writers block and I dont know what to put into the next chapter.  
  
Can I also ask if anyone can try and find time to check out some of my fics on fictionpress, I go by the same penname and since I'm the only Hotkitty it'll be easy to find.  
  
They're all 2 chapter stories so far but Ive got chapter 3 planned out and written up on paper for Destinies Hand and Im working on it for Over The Rainbow. But to actually post them up I'd appreciate if anyone would bother to read and maybe even review them and the chapters are much longer than the ones on this fic.  
  
So enjoy the chappie and REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! PS I know this chapters going to be a bit scruffy but its because I have been suffering from writers block so please do forgive me my readers.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Settling in  
  
''So how long do you intend to stay in the village?'' asked James.  
  
''Im not sure,'' replied Merloch stretching his arms. The night had been slightly uncomfortable due to him sleeping on the floor so he felt quite stiff in an awful lot of places.  
  
''Well mate if you intend to stay here long you're going to need a job because I cant manage you, me, Elise and your wife on my salary so you're going to need some money.''  
  
''What do you suggest?'' asked Merloch.  
  
''Well im going to town today to sell some crops so you can come with me and we'll find you a job there and whilst we're at it we'll buy some village clothing for Miss Sara because if she's going to help Elle with the work she wont want to be wearing all of those posh garments.''  
  
Merloch hurriedly agreed, had breakfast and made his way to the village with James.  
  
Sara woke up early in the morning and was surprised to find that she was in a four poster bed in a dark room.  
  
She heaved herself out off bed and opened the shutters then remembered the mission.  
  
Merloch was no longer in the room and all that was left of where he lay was a pillow and a ruffled blanket.  
  
Sara did her bed and folded up his blankets neatly stacking them in a corner and opened the cupboard to find something to wear.  
  
She then made her way downstairs (dressed in a plain dark green gown) and found Elise sitting at the stove preparing breakfast.  
  
''So you are awake Sara, you can clean the dishes from last night then whilst I prepare lunch.''  
  
Sara obediently did as she was told.  
  
''Where's Merloch?'' she asked.  
  
''He's gone with James to the village to find a job.''  
  
''Oh.''  
  
Meanwhile James and Merloch were making their way to the village.  
  
It wasn't that far away but it took a while to reach it.  
  
It was quite a small village with a great bazaar in the middle and farther away was from the village was the great black castle that Merloch had seen earlier.  
  
When they reached the village Merloch saw this as an opportunity to ask James about the castle.  
  
''It belongs to the ruler of our country, no one has actually seen him apart from the few who work in that place but whoever works there stays in there so us ordinary folk don't get to talking with them lot and we get on with our own lives. But there are great punishments for those who are heard insulting or trying to rebel against him. He is called The Master by us people since we do not know of his true identity and only his family will call him by his true name and if anyone else is caught using his name the punishment is quite severe.''  
  
''Do you know his real name?'' questioned Merloch as they reached the village boundary.  
  
''Ofcourse I do but no one dares say it for if you are caught the punishment is death or a day in the stocks.''  
  
''Could you by any chance tell me?'' asked Merloch.  
  
Merloch knew that he was asking to many questions but he couldn't help but feel curious. He recognised this place and all of these rules somehow from somewhere but he just couldn't put his finger on it.  
  
It was as if a part of his mind was locked and he needed some sort of clue to open that lock, and this information might just be the key to get his mind working and access that part of his memories.  
  
''Well, I'll tell you on the way back. We cant risk getting heard in these parts,'' replied James uneasily. ''Now come on and let's find you a job and get this product of mine sold in the bazaar.''  
  
With no further argument Merloch followed James. He could wait and as soon as they would leave the village at the end of the day he would make sure to ask James about The Master.  
  
It was quite easy to find a good paying job in the village, as there were many openings.  
  
Merloch was working in the bazaar and helping with the sales.  
  
It was only part time and it earned just enough to support him and Sara. It wasn't as if he needed a very excellent job since they didn't intend to stay in this era for to long.  
  
Merloch was told that he had to come in the morning and work until 4 o'clock.  
  
On the way back he suddenly remembered what James had promised him.  
  
James had obviously been avoiding this and had been hoping that Merloch had forgotten but Merloch's memory wasn't that bad.  
  
''So tell me what is his name?'' he asked.  
  
James gulped. ''Don't tell anyone that I told you,''  
  
''Don't worry I wont,'' replied Merloch.  
  
''Well his name is, its well,'' James leaned his head closer to Merloch and whispered in his ear.  
  
''Verloch..''  
  
And then the lock clicked.  
  
''He remembers does he,'' said The Master.  
  
''Y-yes sir. Well slightly his memory is coming back to him,'' replied the servant.  
  
''Good, well call for Odaiya. Tell him it is time. Of course first of all I want the girl, do you understand?''  
  
''Y-yes sir.''  
  
''You do understand the penalty if you fail my servant.''  
  
''Of course.''  
  
''Perfect..'' he hissed as the servant left the room. ''Everything is going exactly as I planned.''  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N So remember to tell me what you think and PLZ PLZ PLZ check out my fics on fictionpress remember I'm still Hotkitty so I see no problem.  
  
Well, hope you enjoyed the chappie and ill try and update as soon as I can. SO REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! 


	7. Capture

AN I RECEIVED THE 7TH REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Actually I got it quite a while ago but u see I was really busy so I couldn't update.  
  
Also could u plz check out my other Flint fic Hidden Love id really appreciate it and thankyou celedriel greenleaf for having a look at that.  
  
Im going 2 post up replies 2 my reviewers after ive posted this chappie annd this time I demand 9 REVIEWS!!!  
  
And welcome 2 those new ppl who have started reading this cum on don't be shy gimme a review it can be anonymous I don't mind!!!!  
  
Well enuff of my blubbering and on with the ficcie!!!!!!!!!  
  
Bloodpact  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Capture  
  
Sara inhaled the sweet smell of the stew as Elise carefully set the table.  
  
"They'll be home in a minute so we better make everything nice and perfect for when they come home," said Elise as she arranged the table to precision.  
  
"Why do we have to make everything so perfect?" asked Sara.  
  
"Well don't you want your husband to be pleased?"  
  
"Yeah of course I do, but its not necessary they are only guys right."  
  
Elise gave her one of her 'this girl really is mad but better not say anything it'll be rude,' looks and continued with her arranging.  
  
"Elise I have a question," said Sara attempting for conversation.  
  
Elise rolled her eyes, "Yes."  
  
Just as Sara began to speak there was a sharp rasping at the door.  
  
"I'll get it," said Elise. "It must be James and Merloch."  
  
She hurriedly made her way to the door and unlocked it.  
  
As she opened the door her face went deadly pale.  
  
"Elise what is it?" asked Sara looking at whoever was at the door.  
  
As soon as she saw them she to realised this wasn't good.  
  
Standing in the doorway was a tall man no older than 19 with fair hair, which was in such a style that; it drooped over his handsome features.  
  
He was clad in chain mail and held a sharp sword in his hands.  
  
His face glimmered in the sunlight and so did his sharp canines as he grinned at them.  
  
"So which one of you is Sara?" he asked calmly as two large men in black armour with equally large fangs stepped out of the shadows.  
  
"Im sorry," he said putting his sword back into its sheath. "I haven't, introduced myself I am Odaiya and," he added in a much more chilling voice, "may I ask again which one of you is Sara."  
  
Both girls were speechless.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Oh im starving!" groaned James as they trudged up the hill.  
  
"Yeah, yeah me to," said Merloch not paying much attention for his mind was elsewhere.  
  
Ever since he had heard the name 'Verloch' he immediately knew where he was and whom he was dealing with.  
  
He had to get back and tell Sara of his findings so that they could devise a plan and get home.  
  
As they reached the house Merloch ran up to it and knocked on the door only to find no one answer.  
  
He knocked again, still no answer.  
  
"What is it?" asked James as he reached the door.  
  
"No ones answering," replied Merloch.  
  
James pulled out his axe. "Desperate times call for desperate measures," he said.  
  
He then hacked open the door and the sight that met them left them in utter shock.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara opened her eyes and looked around.  
  
She was in a great big room lying in a four poster bed with silk sheets.  
  
The room was vast with a large cupboard made of pine with golden handles on the side and a chest of snowy white drawers topped with a small mirror, which was lined with pearls.  
  
On the other side of the room was a full size mirror made of the finest glass, the frame of which was a shimmering silver.  
  
Sara heaved herself up only to find herself falling again. Every muscle in her body ached and her head was throbbing.  
  
She forcefully pulled herself up and made her way to the cupboard.  
  
Sara flung it open to reveal some of the most beautiful dresses she had ever seen.  
  
She pulled out the plainest one she could find (a navy blue satin dress embroidered with many small gold stars the arms of which were made of a thin translucent navy blue material which was also embroidered with gold stars.)  
  
She then opened the chest of drawers and found hoards and hoards of beautiful expensive jewellery.  
  
Sara picked out a simple locket with a gold star at the end to match with her dress and tied up her hair with a gold band.  
  
As soon as she had gotten dressed there was a knock at the door and the door was flung open by a beautiful young girl.  
  
*~**~**~**~**~**~  
  
"Wh-what happened here?" asked James as he propped Elise onto a chair and held a wet towel to her bleeding forehead.  
  
They had returned to find the place in turmoil an assortment of broken dishes scattered across the floor and Elise lying unconscious on the floor.  
  
"Th-they came. The Master's men and not just any old servant of his b-but O- o-odaiya and he asked f-for Sara and he threw her onto his horse and bit her so she went unconscious and he had one of those tall dark vampires knock me unconscious," she stammered.  
  
James wrapped his arm around Elise and rocked her gently.  
  
"Where did they take her?" asked Merloch.  
  
"T-to the castle," replied Elise pointing to the dark fortress that could be seen silhouetted among the dark hills on the other side of the village.  
  
Merloch flung on his coat, took out one of his swords and threw open the door.  
  
"Then that's where im going then," he said.  
  
*~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~  
  
"Rose what is it?" asked Cathy as Rose hurriedly bustled some food onto the tray.  
  
"Take this to the far east room to the new prisoner and prepare her for dinner this is just a small snack!" Exclaimed Rose handing Cathy the tray.  
  
"Okay," said Cathy.  
  
'I wonder who the new prisoner is?' thought Cathy 'obviously someone important if he's been given the far east room.'  
  
As she reached the door she gently knocked on it.  
  
When there came no answer she flung it open and a such a sight met her that left both her and the prisoner in a state of utter shock.  
  
TBC...  
  
AN WOO!!!!!!  
  
GLAD I GOT THAT OFF MY CHEST!!!!!  
  
Plz review ppl else I wont update iss az simple as that!!!!!!!!!!! 


	8. Meetings

AN Yes yes yes I know its WAY past October 7th but if you do so recall I also demanded 9 REVIEWS! And I only got about 8 but I m still updating for those people who do review and I hope I do get reviews cuz if I don't get reviews I wont update its as simple as that especially since ive been rather busy posting up my original fiction on fictionpress.com if any1's interested my usernames still Hotkitty and im the ONLY Hotkitty so I wont be hard 2 find.  
  
Bloodpact  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Meetings  
  
"YOU'RE A FEMALE!"  
  
"And what's so surprising about that?" questioned Sara eying the girl suspiciously.  
  
"Um well." Cathy carefully set down the tray and twiddled her thumbs uncomfortably.  
  
"Well what is it?" demanded Sara.  
  
"Well you see miss the only possible reason the Master would have for kidnapping a young girl at your age and giving her one of the finest rooms in the fortress, is well if he intended to, I mean he had chosen yourself for ahem mating."  
  
"WHAT!"  
  
"I, I'm sorry if this has come as a shock to you ma'am but it's the only reason for if he had just taken you as a prisoner you would have been put into the underground prisons!" Exclaimed Cathy hurriedly.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
"I beg your pardon miss?"  
  
"Um well if that's the case please could you tell me what's your name?" asked Sara quickly changing the subject.  
  
"My name is Cathy ma'am and please may I inquire to what I may call you?"  
  
"My name, um its Sara. Sara Goodman."  
  
"Well Lady Sara I shall be leaving now for I have many chores to attend to. The Master invites you to dinner which will be served in one hour and you must dress in something from the wardrobe over there," she said pointing at the wardrobe.  
  
She then left leaving Sara sitting on the bed in a state of pure shock.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sara scanned through the contents of the wardrobe in pure dismay.  
  
The dresses there were by far more classy than the ones she'd had at Elise's house and she had decided she'd go down to dinner and try to sort all of this out with this 'Master' Cathy kept talking about. Surely as soon as she talked to him he'd realize he'd made a mistake in bringing her here and she'd be free to go...Well at least she hoped.  
  
Sara lay out the dresses onto the wide four poster bed and surveyed them.  
  
After a lot of argument between herself Sara finally picked a dress and took off her old one.  
  
The dress was a silky sky blue with lots of little jewels decorating the bodice and hemline. The arms were made of a translucent blue material which had silky gold cuffs which were also decorated with jewels. She wore small sky blue shoes which had a single crystal at the tip.  
  
She then moved to the dressing mirror and tied her hair loosely with a jeweled band and just as she was about to make her way out there was a knock at the door.  
  
Sara hurried to open it and found Cathy standing in the doorway.  
  
"Lady Sara I have been instructed to aid you in getting ready," she said surveying what Sara was wearing.  
  
Over all she kept the dress and hair but she rummaged through the drawers and fetched a jeweled necklace and a jeweled band that Sara was to place on her head.  
  
She then outlined Sara's eyes with a dark black and covered her lips with a shiny substance.  
  
Once they were done she led Sara outside and they made their way to the hall.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Merloch hurried across the village to the direction of the fortress.  
  
James had let him borrow a horse after all it was the least he could do after refusing to help him in the fear that 'The Master would have their heads.'  
  
After a couple of hours he finally reached the fortress and the nearer he came the more was coming back to him.  
  
As he reached the fortress he tied his horse to the side and pulled at the small gong attached to the gate.  
  
It was answered by a thin weedy man with pasty white skin and a mop of untidy grey hair.  
  
"Master Merloch!" He exclaimed hurriedly wrenching open the gates.  
  
"Gourmrey what a pleasant surprise," replied Merloch as the gate was pulled open.  
  
"Master if it is not too bold of me to ask what are you doing here?"  
  
"I have some business to tend to now if you please will you escort me to the hall I cant seem to remember that well," replied Merloch.  
  
"Of course sir!" exclaimed Gourmrey.  
  
He then led Merloch into the fortress.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Is he here?"  
  
"Yes Master,"  
  
"And what of the girl?"  
  
"She is on her way down. I think the maid may have given her quite a fright."  
  
"Good. Timing is of the essence."  
  
"Yes Master."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Merloch followed Gourmrey through out the hallways.  
  
One thing was for sure, not much had changed since the last time he had been here.  
  
Finally after what seemed like ages they reached the entrance to the hallway.  
  
Gourmrey pushed open the door, "I must leave now Master Merloch I have much business to attend to,"  
  
"Okay. Goodbye Gourmrey and thankyou," replied Merloch.  
  
Gourmrey nodded and left.  
  
Merloch slowly edged open the door and entered the dark hall.  
  
All was shadowed but he could see a thin spindly old vampire at the front holding a tray and behind him, sitting on the throne.  
  
"We meet again Verloch," said Merloch stepping forwards.  
  
"And what a pleasure it is to have you back at our humble residence, brother."  
  
TBC.  
  
A/N Ok ok so its kinda cliché'd and a couple of you (well more like ALL of you) knew that was coming but its gonna get better! And there will be romance soon just be patient with me.  
  
That didn't end quite like I wanted it to but you got the message.  
  
Also a special mention to BABY PRUE thanks 4 puttin me in your favourits you're the only person who's ever done that!  
  
Another mention to AERINM 4 being my loyalest reviewer along with CELEDRIELGREENLEAF.  
  
I'll post up replies sometime or other be patient withh me ive been awfully busy recently and its nearly the holidays so ill have more time.  
  
SO REVIEW PLEASE!  
  
REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! 


	9. Confrontations

Bloodpact

Chapter 9

Confrontations

Sara could just about make out some voices as she reached the entrance to the hall, Cathy at her heel.

"We meet again Verloch,"  
  
"And what a pleasure it is to have you back at our humble residence, brother."

Before Sara could process what she had just heard Cathy hurriedly opened the large door and led her inside.

They entered a large dark hall, the only light came from a small window on the ceiling which cast a dim white light onto the front of the hall where there stood a thin spindly man at the foot of a large throne.

Sat on the throne was a figure who was shadowed by the neverending darkness of the room.

A sudden wave of relief suddenly swept over her as she spotted Merloch stood not to far away before the throne.

At first they did not seem to notice her arrival for they were too busy conversing amongst themselves therefore Sara was given some time to register what she had just heard a few minutes ago.

Sara was suddenly swept with a wave of realisation mixed with curiosity and maybe even fear.

What had she heard them say, **_brother,_** but how could they be brothers?

Surely she must have heard wrong…

*~*~*~*~*

"So you have arrived Sara," said the shadowed figure.

His voice was chilling but handsome at the same time as he got up from the throne and stood beside his servant.

Sara stood dumbfounded at the sight before her.

He looked exactly like Merloch, but he couldn't be, Merloch was stood on the other side of the throne.

They had the same light purple hair and handsome features however it was then that Sara noticed the difference. His eye colour was a deep black, a deep empty black.

"Sara!" Exclaimed Merloch making his way towards her however before he could reach her a sudden darkness fell from the walls as three or four figures dressed in black soared from the sides and took hold of both of Merloch's arms.

Sara hurriedly made her way forward however she was stopped as a cold hand held onto her arm.

Sara turned round to see the face of one of the dark figures which had held onto Merloch.

Before they could say anything else Verloch stepped down from his throne and made his way towards them.

He then turned to the dark figures, "My brother has fallen for the bait. Take him to the dungeons and I shall inspect him in a while. As for the girl take her back to her room," he hissed.

The guards nodded.

Merloch frantically attempted to escape however he suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of his head causing his world to completely black out…

*~*~*~*~*

Sara sat upon the large bed deep in thought.

She was now more confused than ever but more than being confused, she was scared.

Scared of what was going to happen.

Millions of thoughts and questions were issuing through her head but before she could ponder any answers the door was opened.

Sara turned round expecting it to be Cathy however she was met with a shock as it was none other than Verloch.

"What do you want?" she snapped as he entered the room and took a seat on one of the chairs.

"I wished to see for myself my brother's prized female," he replied calmly.

"What are you going on about?" questioned Sara in confusion.

Verloch laughed. "Females, so naïve," he replied.

Before Sara could answer he cut her off as he made his way towards her and sat beside her on the bed.

"I will have Catherine prepare you and you will join me for supper tonight and no arguments," he said icily.

"What if I don't want to come?" said Sara defiantly.

"Well you'll just have to or let's just say I have a little friend of yours in the dungeon and some guards awaiting my orders at this precise moment," he replied.

However before Sara could reply he leaned forward slightly cupping her face in his right hand. Sara attempted to wrench off his hand but at that precise moment her eyes met his and a sudden sensation surged through her head causing her mind to completely blank out.

All of her thoughts were suddenly not there and all she could see were the dark pupils of his eyes as their gaze bore into her skin.

At first he merely trailed his fingers across her cheek but after a few moments he leaned forwards and brushed his lips against hers kissing her softly. After every passing moment Sara felt her brain blank out even more as something took control of her body. Her thoughts were just not channelling through, it was as though it was not her body or her mind but someone else was controlling it.

He slowly moved his hands up her back as his mouth delved deeper into hers. Sara interwined her arms round his neck as a sudden force took over her and she lost total control of her actions. After a few moments he eased her onto the bed his body covering hers as he kissed her passionately.

After a few moments his lips began to descent down over her cheek and down to her neck where he kissed her softly for a few moments before his lips once again covered hers his tongue silently penetrating her mouth. 

Sara had no idea what was going on only it felt like she was being controlled as he lay on top of her kissing her softly.

She felt as though there was something else in her but as much as she tried to fight it she found she couldn't as her mind slipped further away from reality, her attempts to break free from the mind control slowly slipping away.

With one last push of her mind and no result she found she could not fight back anymore as all of her energy was drained from her and the other presence completely took over her as she tightened her grip round his neck and slipped her tongue into his mouth.

Verloch responded by hardening the kiss, pushing his weight on top of hers as his hands trailed across her back as he kissed her passionately as she responded with equal force. 

And her mind totally blanked out… 

TBC….

Lol I rewrote that bit cuz it didn't sound rite the first time I wrote it. I've got a question however 2 my readers before I update cuz im not sure about this.

Wud u guys mind if I put some limey material in this or should I not?

Well that's all for now from me!

And REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!


	10. Aftermath and old friends

AN Yes, yes naughty me I know I haven't updated in ages its just I've been really busy and caught up in loads of other stuff and I've got fics on fiction press 2 and also I've been suffering from a LOT of writers block on this fic and I'm not sure what to put next, I know what the ending is but I'm not sure how to fill in gaps etc.

ALSO NOTE 2 ALL; I rewrote the last chapter the bit with Verloch cuz it weren't sounding right to me and thank you all for your reviews and plz go back and read it and lemme know if it sounds ok! AND HERE ARE THE REPLIES!

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The Spiked Dragon; Oh you reviewed me three times in one chappie! THANKYOU! I'm glad you like this and I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long its just I had no idea what to write. If you review again why don't you leave your email so I can send you an alert when I update? Lol. I hope you like this chapter.

AerinM: you are my most loyal reviewer and I salute you AerinM *salutes AerinM* also I added you to my msn contacts on messenger and once when you were online I said hello and it was your mum on the other end and I felt really embarrassed, just to let you know that I dropped in and said hello. Lol. Hope you like the chappie!

Kendra; Yo girl! Luv ur reviews your just so encouraging! I'm not sure yet if he should rape Sara I was going to put it last chappie but I decided against it so its only a bit of making out, nothing major. Lol. I couldn't really remember what colour Merloch's eyes were in the anime but I reckoned they were red so I made Verloch's black just to make it that little ickle bit more mysterious, lol. HOPE U LIKE THE CHAPPIE! Also do you want me to send you a notification saying ive updated since you do leave your email?

Keyo-red Angel of hope; lol yeh Merloch was one of my fave chars 2 that's why I based a fic on him. Lol he's just so funny and cool. Well you'll just have to read and find out if he escapes after all tun tun tun.

SGCred; Thanx 4 the criticism on chappie nine! My teacher always used to say that to! I might abandon Hidden love because I' just way to busy but I made a vow to myself that I'd finish this one! I'm glad you like it I'm so touched, I have the making to be a writer *huggles* thanx! Hope you like the chappie.

Baby-Prue; you put me in favourites! IM SO HAPPY! Hope you like the chappie!

MIROKULOVER; I am evil ent I? Lol here's the long awaited chappie 11 though!

The_Ranting_Loon; Yay I'm happy I finally updated 2! I've been having writers block and I still do so this chappie prolly ent that gud.

IF I'VE MISSED ANYONE IM SORRY AND LET ME KNOW CUZ I'LL REPLY 2 U NEXT CHAPPIE!

Also sorry if this chapter isn't that gud but ive been suffering from seriously evil writers block!

Bloodpact

Chapter 10

Sara woke up, the cold air from the open window lapping against her face. As she got up to close it she felt a sudden jolt surge thorough her head as she was met with a terrible headache. 

She couldn't remember what had happened last night, or what had happened most of yesterday at that, all that she knew was that she needed a nice long nap…

Sara absentmindedly closed the window then clumsily made her way back to the bed, pulling the covers over herself and falling into a deep slumber…

*~*~*~*~*~*

Sara woke up as she was shook awake fiercely by none other than Cathy.

"Miss Sara you have to hurry and get up its already midday and you must have your breakfast at once or the Master will not be pleased!" She exclaimed.

Sara groaned. "Fine I'm getting up justgive me another five…"

"NO YOU WILL GET UP AT ONCE OR ELSE I'LL GET IN TROUBLE!" Screeched Cathy as she fiercely tugged off the covers.

Sara yawned. "Fine I'm getting up as she opened her eyes."

But by now Cathy had already got off of the bed and brought forward a dress along with some jewellery.

As Sara spotted the dress she was rendered speechless.

"Cathy I am NOT wearing that!" 

*~*~*~*~*

The room smelt of dust and rotting flesh, the walls were damp and dirty and the cell was dark and cold the only source of heat and light located in a small bracket near the entrance holding a flaming torch.

Merloch had been in these cells quite often during his stay here, but it had never been him who was tied to the grimy walls by the force of chains and shackles, he had merely been a spectator.

And judging by how long he had been in there if his calculations were correct it would only be a matter of minutes before the guard or a servant or someone would come in with food. Too bad his calculations weren't correct.

It must have been at least two hours later when he was sitting there and his stomach had already gone through two reruns of Greensleeves and was now moving onto a touch of Mozart mixed with what sounded familiar to D12's My Band. Yep, he was definitely going insane. 

About two minutes later when his stomach had moved onto Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake he heard a knock at the door before it was gently slid open by a young man who looked barely fourteen with a mat of black hair and cold grey eyes supporting a large tray.

Merloch was taken by shock as he instantly recognised the figure who in turn was staring at him, his eyes wide open.

"Merloch is that you?" he asked placing the tray before the bound vampire.

"Anthion what are you still doing here?" asked Merloch. "I'd have thought Verloch would have kicked you out."

Anthion shook his head. "Older brother decided to keep me to help him out with running things. Although I didn't count on seeing you here ever again. Why are you here?" asked the younger vampire sitting himself down upon the damp floor.

"Verloch did some sort of set up and made me come here," replied Merloch.

Anthion looked even more shocked at this to say the least as he hastily replied. "But older brother was awfully happy when you left since that meant you were forfeiting the throne over to him so why would he make you come back here?"

"That's what I was wondering," replied Merloch. "Actually Anthion since you're here anyway could you help me, I mean I need to get out of here and back to where I was along with my companion. Is there anyway you know I can get out?"

Anthion sat in silence for a few seconds as he pondered this he then replied, "I'll try my best to help you and I'll come back tomorrow and tell you what I find."

Merloch nodded and with that Anthion left the cell closing the door firmly behind himself.

Merloch looked down at his food and groaned inwardly, water and a lumpy looking stew, how delicious…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sara grimaced as Cathy led her before the mirror.

It wasn't that she didn't look nice, no far from that it was just that Cathy's pick of clothes were not up to what she would wear. By saying that she did not mean that they were not rich enough for her as such no it was not that the reason that she did not wish to wear what she was wearing was defined in one word, skimpy.

Her hair was straight and fell daintily below her waist and she was wearing a long, tight, black armless dress the neckline of the bodice of which went down a bit too much for her liking. Upon her neck was a single silver necklace and on her arms were long black gloves. On her feet were small dainty black high heeled shoes and her eyes were accented by thick eye liner.

Before Sara could survey her reflection any longer Cathy had grabbed her arm and whisked her out into the corridor.

TBC..

Authors Note; Yes yes I know it was like a filler chappie but I have writers block and I felt guilty about not updating.

Also this makes you all feel better seeing as Verloch did NOT rape her although it's a matter being considered. lol.

I want all your opinions on should I have any lemon or lime?

Plz lemme know!

Poll question

Do you reckon Sara should go with Merloch or Verloch? And if with Verloch do you think Merloch should get a girl to?


	11. Paintings and past memories

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AN Ahem….yes yes I know, naughty me. How long has it been since I updated anyway????

I've been a bit dry on idea's you see and I didn't really have a plot for this. My initial thought was to completely abandon this (like so many other writers have on here) but after that onslaught of reviews I got for the last chapter (WAS IT REALLY 15) WHOA seriously I've never had that many reviews for one chapter of anything I've ever written IN MY WHOLE LIFE! U guys make me feel so wonderful!

Therefore I sat down and I rethought the plot and I've added loads more to make it more interesting and longer!

THANKYOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS, YOU'VE REALLY MADE MY DAY!

I'LL UPDATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER THIS.

ON WITH THE FICCIE EVRY1.…

Chapter 11

Red…

Swishing…

Skirts…

Moon…

Stars…

Laughter…

Black…

Red…

Blood…

Roses…

Merloch awoke, the sweat running down his brow.

That dream again…Merloch clamped his eyes shut and rubbed his temples.

He had to forget, he wanted to forget…But ever since he had arrived here the memories wouldn't keep at bay. The same pain… the same faces unleashing into his mind like a lion released from his pen.

That night…and the laughter; he could never forget that laughter. Merloch stretched out his legs and attempted to move his arms forward but was met with a sudden jolt of pain. It was then that he remembered where he was.

He was stuck in a dirty, dingy excuse for a dungeon cell tied to the walls with thick chains. Verloch sure seemed to have everything worked out to prevent escape.

__

Well, I guess I have to wait for Anthion then… he thought as he tried to regain some feeling in his fingertips.

Merloch groaned, this way going to be a _long _day.

Sara descended down the winding staircase, Cathy at her heel. She felt tired and sleepy and although the dress looked good, she was in an extreme state of discomfort. It was better than if Cathy had decided to do her hair though, anything was better than that. Sara couldn't stand the thought of lots of pins stuck randomly on her head, poking at

her scalp.

"Hurry up ma'm, the Master will be waiting!" Exclaimed Cathy as she hurriedly rushed forward, pulling Sara along with her.

As Cathy dragged her down the stairs, Sara took a moment to look at the portraits along the walls.

They were very beautifully drawn and Sara couldn't help but stare at the many figures posing and clad in elegant clothes. "Who's that?" she asked, stooping abruptly and pointing towards a painting of a young girl dressed in scarlet.

Cathy stopped and averted her attention to where Sara was pointing. Skimming her eyes across the canvas she shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not too familiar with this stuff now lets go," she said quickly…

__

A bit too quickly…thought Sara but she didn't have time to prompt her for Cathy was already ahead and she would lose her if she didn't hurry.

Sara ran forward, her black skirts swishing behind her as she held onto the banisters. Cathy was fast…extremely fast and she seemed rushed all of a sudden. Was what Sara had asked really that bad?

"Cathy, wait up! How do you expect me to reach this throne room thing if I don't know the way?" she said jokingly, attempting to lighten the mood.

Cathy stopped and turned quickly. "I-I'm sorry, come on it's been way too long. The Master will be angry," she said nervously.

Sara nodded, not wanting to unnerve Cathy more than she already had and hurried after her, down the flight of stairs.

Anthion slid into the dimly lit cell, the dank smells consuming his nostrils. He pinched his nose, balancing the tray in his other hand. Not that there was much in it anyway. It didn't seem like Verloch wanted to kill his twin brother otherwise he would have done it beforehand, so why was he still keeping him here.

The cell door creaked; his heavy footsteps echoing on the greasy floor. He heard a groan, then brought forward his torch to be met with Merloch's pale face, gazing at him wide eyed.

"What took you?" he exclaimed. "I've been waiting for what seems like centuries."

Anthion smirked and bent down handing the tray to Merloch. "It comes from the vampire genes big brother. But I assure you, it's only been a little less than a day."

However, it seemed as though Merloch had completely ignored this comment seeing as he was far too busy attacking the contents of the tray.

__

Lumpy stew again…yummy.

"Who cooks this shit?" he asked through a mouthful of stew.

"_Bertha."_

Merloch shuddered. "Ugh, not that hag. How is she still alive?"

"I dunno, Verloch refused to sack her when he became 'The Master' seeing as she always favoured him," replied Anthion.

Merloch smirked devilishly. "Remember that time we stuck live trout down her pants?"

Anthion laughed. "Damn, mother and father were on our case for weeks after that. 'I wish you two would be more like Verloch, he never gets in trouble,'" he imitated.

Merloch's expression immediately dropped. "So why did you come anyway? Any ideas?" he said, immediately changing the subject.

Noticing the tension Anthion hastily replied, "I know how to get you out, if that's what you mean."

Merloch nodded. "And Sara?"

Anthion looked taken aback for a moment before replying. "That wasn't part of the recommendations. I'm not going to risk getting on Verloch's _really _bad side. You may be my brother but he could sentence me to death without batting an eyelash any day."

Merloch shook his head defiantly. "I'm not going without Sara," he stated.

Anthion could feel the anger welling up inside of his chest. After all he was risking for his brother he still wouldn't take up his offer.

"It's not like she would miss you. I think her and Verloch are pretty well acquainted if you get what I mean," he bit out icily, immediately regretting what he had just said. He was in trouble now…

Merloch met him with a steely gaze and said coldly, "No Anthion, I don't get what you mean. Enlighten me."

Anthion gulped, he was in trouble now. "It's nothing, really. It just came out."

"No, your hiding something from me. Tell me, _now_."

Anthion gulped once again, absentmindedly running a hand through is thick, black hair.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Tell me."

__

Here it goes… "I saw him coming out of her room last night quite a while after he went in and he looked a bit well…flushed and ruffled," he said lamely.

Merloch could feel the anger coursing through his chest. _Why that son of a… _Trust Verloch to take advantage of Merloch's not being there. But doing this, it was sick. As he pondered a hundred ways to kill Verloch another thought suddenly entered his mind. What if Sara had…willingly…and how far did he go? He shuddered. It wasn't a thought he wanted to ponder.

A sudden wave of memories overswept him. This was so similar…but no, he said he's forget, he'd promised himself he'd forget and that's what he would do. Forget.

"So what's the plan?" he asked Anthion hastily.

Anthion looked taken aback at Merloch's sudden change of conversation before he answered quickly.

"Well…"

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AN SORRY **its so short evry1! I just needed to get this one out and I told you I'm currently working on the plot. I hope you guys all review cuz that's seriously the only reason I write this fic! I currently have an account on fiction press you see and I'm usually more into my own original fiction rather than fan fiction.**

As well as that I went on holiday early July and got back late August, then I started scool again and I've been loaded with work! Also my comp got HUNDREDS of viruses and I had 2 reboot it so it was kinda hard 2 update. I hope you guys haven't abandoned me by now and PLZ REVIEW!

PLZ REVIEW AND HERE ARE THE REPLIES!

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Chisakami Saiyuki; Cool penname! Where'd u get it from I was like "whoa" when I saw it. That is like so Japanese. Thanks for reviewing, as for the Sara/Verloch thing you'll just have to wait and see…

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midtow: applaud I finally updated. I hope you enjoy this chapter and review. I LUV REVIEWS and you just boost my confidence by reviewing me. I mean your review may be short but hey at least you bother to help poor little individuals such as myself. I hope you enjoy this chappie!

Baby Prue; Thanx for sticking to me, I seriously appreciate your support. As for what will happen, you'll just have to wait and see won't you cackles evilly

Melon3; OMG U ARE SO SWEET! Thanx for adding me 2 ur faves AND I'm ur first one goes all bigheaded you don't know how much that means to me. I'M SO TOUCHED! As for Sara it's not really her fault she dresses up, you know how she is if you've seen the show, she can be a bit naïve at times so she probably thinks that by following orders and being polite she can find out 1. Whats going on and 2. Be very polite about it and get Verloch to let em go. Anywayz she doesn't really remember that lil bit with verloch, u'll find out why later on tho…

UPDATE UR FIC SOON! No one ever updates and I seriously wanna know what happens next!

Mel; lol kkkkkkkk I get the message! U don't want a Verloch/Sara coupling, I'm cool with that. We'll just see how it turns out and just 2 justify Sara they didn't sleep together lolz. Verloch's evil but not that evil….or is he? Lolz I couldn't resist saying that. You'll see how the coupling turns out soon and trust me you'll probably find it pretty cool unless I decide to change the plot. I haven't got a permanent decision on who she goes with yet anyway. I hope you wnjoy this chappie AND PLZ REVIEW!

Dutch Cheshire Cat; Glad you like it and thanx for your vote. I am seriously taking everyone's vote into consideration and they may well affect my final decision. Hope you enjoy the chappie!

Keyo-Red Angel of hope; Oh thanx! I seriously thought it was a crap filler but thanx for the encouragement, it made me feel better about what I'd left you guys lolz. Cool I didn't know that that's what limey meant! You learn something new everyday! As for the lemon and lime I'm not totally sure I'm going to put some in cuz one of my reviewers doesn't really like it and she's a lot of support to me, but that doesn't mean there's gunna be completely none of that sort of thing lolz. Hehe. Hope you enjoy the chappie!

AerinM: HEYA! Howz u den? Long time no tlk. I'm still in a writers block state thing so that's why this chappie's a bit gritty round the edges. Kz as for the lemon and lime, quite specifically what sort of stuff don't you want to see. Do you mind if I put like kisses and stuff in it cuz the stuff I can write is kisses, making out and yeah a lemon as well as intimate touching so let me know which stuff you definitely DON'T want me to put in cuz ur 1 of my top reviewers. sobs u've stuck with me for SO long, you don't know how much that means to me. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

KohakuOtaku; Oooh coolies I like ur name! Where'd you come up with it? Yeah I luvved the show 2, it was just WAY 2 CUTE! 2 bad there weren't any proper romance in it but hey that's the most we can get. That's why I worte this, I was wondering how cool it would be if there was a proper romance story thing for Sara/Merloch. I hope you like this chapter and plz review!

Spiked Dragon; OMG how many reviews did you give me? Thanx and I adore you for it! You're one of the top reasons I updated, you could actually bother to give me that many reviews! You don't know how great I feel! Lolz yeah Merloch IS going insane, I'm glad you found it funny. Hehe I felt nutty when I was writing that. Thanx for checking my bio, I cant believe someone actually bothered 2 read my waflle and yes nutty…THAT'S ME! As for the lime I'll see about that but there will definitely be more romance on the way. I'm sorry I kept you hanging for so long, as I explained above I've been on holiday then school started again so I couldn't update. I went on holiday around July 18th and came back late August so I was away for quite some time, then I've had lots of school workand itf it weren't for all of u guys' lovely reviews I wouldn't have really continued this but now I'm definitely going to do all I can to complete this. Then I might start a new Sara/Merloch one, I have LOADS of ideas for them. That os so sweet saying that my story rocks, it makes me feel so good that I'm appreciated. I know ive said this loads of times before but it REALLY REALLY REALLY means a lot to me! As for your comp I'm so sorry, that's happened to me before and I know it's like so ANNOYING, Ididn't have a hacker tho, I had HUNDREDS of viruses, that's another reason I haven't updated in ages because I've just had my comp rebooted. As soon as ur comp gets better let me know, then I can email u when I update rather than having to have you continuously checking on the site. I know how annoying that can get! I'm glad you think it's well written and once again thanx for your review!

Kendra; Lolz I'm not sure about a lemon lolz cuz one of my reviewers ent really that into it and I don't wanna go offending anyone. I luved ur review, it was so long and u've really put a lot of insight into it if you get what I mean. Lolz I love Verloch's bad boy thing to hehe as for the coupling I'm not going to reveal anything but I'm glad that your satisfied with either way. That's a really cute idea about that Cathy thing and another brother …lolz I couldn't resist. Hehe it would be tres cool being in the presence of a hott vampire and yeah as us girls say, pain is beauty ir in Sara's case 'skimpy clothes which make you feel uncomfortable' is beauty. I'll email you as soon as this is posted, it's so much easier that you've left ur email and I'm SERIOUSLY sorry if I've accidentally ended up sending you any of my stupid forwards lolz. I isually clik anywhere but u can just delate them, I usually try and do that now anyway. Hope you enjoy the chapter and I LUVED UR REVIEWS! Long reviews r just so cool! They make me feel brilliant!


	12. Escape

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Yes, yes. Once again I have taken eons to update. Lol. I know exactly what's going to happen in the next chapter so hopefully it'll be out quicker, this is more of a transition chapter. Then you discover some stuff in the next one. Thanks for reading everyone! Notes are at the bottom.

Chapter 12

A figure stood, silhouetted beneath the thin beams of light cascading from the small bars atop the cell. In his hands was a long pendulum, ripped from an old clock and swinging lightly in the breeze.

Right….left….right….left….drop…lift…

"Will you stop that?"

"Make your decision. I haven't much time."

The pendulum stilled for a moment as the figure contemplated something, then swung again.

"It's only temporary," he stated. "You can come back for her. He won't hurt her…you know he wouldn't. What he did…you know Verloch; it was probably one of his tests. He's not the type to use his powers for such things. He was probably trying to test out how strong she is."

Merloch shrugged and bent down, massaging his temples. "I'll go," he began. "But only if we can come back for her. I won't leave without her."

The pendulum stilled once again only this time the figure twisted it over his wrist, beneath the thick layer of black. "And what do you wish to do once you have both escaped? Verloch has closed the portals. You can't get back and there is no way of contacting wherever you came from. He is the only one who can make them work again."

Merloch sighed. "We'll figure something out."

Anthion shrugged. "Suit yourself. I must be going now. Be ready, we escape tonight."

Merloch nodded and with a clanging of the door, Anthion was gone.

oOOo

Verloch tilted his glass at an angle, watching as the thick liquid swayed in amongst its cavernous depths.

Sarah frowned, her hands clasped in her lap, folded then turned then folded.

"Who exactly are you?" her voice cut through the silence, like a knife slicing into its target.

Verloch smirked. "You're an intelligent girl. You figure it out."

She frowned again as the room was once again basked in an overwhelming silence.

She decided to settle with a different question. "Where is Merloch?"

"Down the corridor to your left is a room. Into the room and down a flight of stairs there are three doors. Pick the middle one and you'll enter a row of cells. He's probably in one of them," he said absentmindedly, his attention focused on the liquid. "Why do you wish to know, anyway?"

"Is it a crime to wish to know of your circumstances?" she replied.

Verloch looked up and smirked. "It's not clever to answer a question with another question."

"That must mean I'm not clever, then."

Verloch placed the goblet onto the table and leaned back into his chair.

"No, you are clever. I see why our brother chose you for the pact."

Sarah furrowed her brows and fixed him with a hard stare. "What pact?"

"You'll find out in due course. Even dear Merloch needs to remember yet," he replied, vaguely.

She frowned. " Tell me."

He smirked once again. "Curiosity killed the cat."

"I'm not a cat, though."

"That's a very immature come back," he stated.

"And that's a very clichéd answer."

Verloch sighed. "I like you. Both witty and beautiful, he has good taste," Verloch sighed once again. "I thought you would be bored cooped up in your room all day, therefore I arranged for Cathy to take you around the garden. It's very beautiful, I expect you will enjoy it."

Verloch nodded to Cathy who, throughout the conversation, had been motionless. She stood up and indicated for Sarah to follow suite.

They made their way to the door but were stopped by Verloch's voice. "By the way," he said. "Don't think of escaping. You are being monitored. It's not a wise move."

oOOo

Two figures clad in back made their way through the narrow corridors, the only light a torch clasped in the hands of the figure in front, the flames dancing beneath wavering moonlight.

The only sound was their footsteps, clicking against the dirty floor.

They entered a room, a large square room.

"The entrance. It is through there. You will enter a corridor where there are two doors, take the one on the left and you will enter the room which leads to the gate. There is a table in the centre and upon it is a key. Take the key and exit."

Merloch nodded and took Anthion's hand, shaking it lightly. "Thanks for all you've done. I'm forever in your debt."

Anthion nodded, a light smile barely visible in the darkness. "We're brothers. It's my duty. Good bye and good luck."

Anthion pivoted on his heel and went back, through the narrow corridors.

Merloch took in a deep breath and stepped forward, gently easing open the door and entering the rooms cavernous interior. Torches suspended in thick brackets lined the walls, flames flickering over their wooden surface. Two brown doors stood before him. He stepped forward and pulled the left one open, sliding though the small gap it allowed.

He entered a square shaped room, the sides lined with brackets similar to those of the room he had just ascended from. Merloch scanned the room. His eyes rested on the table. It was empty.

"Looking for this?"

His stomach jumped as he turned. Verloch stood by the door, the key dangling from his fingertips. He stepped forward. He swung the key between his fingertips, watching as it cut through the air in a never-ending motion.

"Do you remember the pact, Merloch?"

Merloch frowned. "What pact?"

Verloch smirked. Two words. "Red roses."

It was then that the memories came back.

oOOo

****

sighs not a very informative chapter, I know, but the next one will have much more in it. Review me people!

I haven't got enough time for really long responses (sorri!) but I'll try to make them longer next time!

Spiked Dragon; thanx for reviewing dude, u rok! I'm glad you're still reviewing and I hope you liked the update! Lol, I like the trout bit 2... Fun 2 write heh…

Siren of the sea; lol…Bob? Heh, I'm glad you picked my fic lol. Thanx for reviewing and I SERIOUSLY appreciate it! Ur review made me laugh! Bob sounds scurry…

Doray; Heya! Sure I'll email you. U rok! Thanx for your comments, they were really nice! Gave me that woozy feeling inside :D And I'm glad you find it…absorbing.. I personally rekon its crap heh, but that's just me ;D

Chisakami Saiyuki; Sorri I cant write u a longer response. And you wrote such a long review 2... Anwyaz, u didn't have 2 stop there, I luv long reviews and THANKYOU FOR READING! Interesting way of getting a name tho…

Kendra; So sorry I cant give you a longer response! I'm rushed, school sucks and your review roked! U write such long reviews, ur probably one of my favourite (if not favourite) reviewers! I'm glad you enjoyed it, your linkages were brilliant. Makes me realise how totally clichéd this plot is heh, but hey, clichés r cool, rite? lol. You'll discover if your predictions were correct in due time…

Dutch Cheshire cat; Thanx for reading and reviewing and don't worry about taking long, its not as if I'm quick with updates heh.

Midtow; that is such a sweet thing 2 say and thanx for reading!

IF I MISSED ANY1 ELSE PLZ LET ME KNOW! I'm 2 rushed 2 thoroughly check!


	13. Until Tomorrow

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Whoa, quicker this time, aren't I?

Chapter 13

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Holmes Castle

1950

A single figure lay in the large bed, wrapped in blankets coated with warmth, her bed a safe haven as she basked in incomplete dreams. A single bolt of lightning marred the clear sky, like a stroke of paint across an empty canvas.

She sighed in her sleep, then turned over, her head digging into the thick pillow beneath her. A soft rasping sound filtered through the room. She awoke, jolted out of her sleep.

The girl opened her eyes and yawned, then rubbed them with the back of her hand. Her gaze flitted over the small clock hung beside the thick curtain which led to her balcony. It was midnight.

The rasping came again, only quicker this time.

It was raining. She could hear the pattering of the raindrops, like fire crackling over a wooden surface. She slid out of the four poster bed and made her way to the balcony. The rasping continued. Who could it be?

The girl slid open the thick, velvet curtains which shrouded the glass pane that led to her balcony. She could not see anything through the large glass doors, they were far too fogged up with rain. She grasped the handle and slid them open.

She stepped out onto the balcony, the rain lashing against her white nightdress. She leaned against the arch of the balcony. There were a few pebbles at her feet. That must have been where the rasping came from. She cast her gaze over the garden beneath. A single figure wrapped in a thick cloak stood amongst the towering grass, a small pebble resting in his palm.

"Emilie!" His voice cut through the heavy pattering of the rain. It was muffled but even from a distance she could tell who it was. "Emilie, send down the vine!"

She made her way to the side of the balcony and threw down a vine which coiled over the smooth marble exterior of the wall. He hurried towards it and began to climb up with rapid speed. How did he manage to become so fast?

He reached the top and stumbled onto the balcony, landing in her arms. She fell back. His hand swerved behind her and helped her regain her balance. The rain lashed against their faces for a few moments before he took her hand and pulled her inside.

"It's cold," his voice was barely a whisper.

She pulled out of his grasp and made her way to the bedside table.

She took out a box of matches, fumbling with them for a moment before pulling one out and lighting the candle. She lifted it up. It illuminated her features, sending a dull orange light cascading over the room.

"You shouldn't be here. It is not part of the deal. Why are you here?" she was whispering, quietly.

He took her hand and slipped the candle onto the table with his other hand, not letting go of the first. He brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.

"I wished to see you. Before you made the decision."

Emilie shook her head and wrenched her hand from his grasp. "Your arrival will not sway my decision, milord. You are cheating."

He frowned. "I am not cheating, milady. It is not considered cheating to wish to visit the _anima una. _I just wanted to wish you good luck and let you know that tomorrow you must make the decision." He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a rose, a single red rose. "Be it the right one, or the wrong."

He handed her the rose. She held it in her hands as he pivoted and made his way to the balcony.

"Wait!"

He stopped. He turned.

"Can't I have more time?"

He shook his head. "You have had enough time. Until tomorrow _il mio amore_."

And with that he left.

Emilie looked down. A single drop of blood was visible upon the palm of her hand where she had grasped the rose too tightly and the thorns had dug into her flesh.

"_Fino a domani._ Until Tomorrow."

oOOo

Sunlight swept over the large field, the thin blades of grass glistening a light tinge of yellow mixed with green. Shouting erupted from the distance, followed by the clashing of swords, metal against metal.

"Stop it!"

Merlock swerved to the side and lunged the sword towards his opponent. Verloch ducked then held up his sword in defence.

"I said, stop it!"

"Emilie, stay out of this!"

The girl shook her head and sprinted across the field, her red skirts swishing in the light breeze. She knew she had to reach them…it was all her fault.

"I mean it! Stop this now or else neither of you will win. I won't make my decision at all."

Merloch was panting now. He was tired. He never knew that Verloch was this good.

In one swift movement, Verloch lunged forward, his sword clashing with that of Merloch's. Merloch brought his sword forward causing Verloch to fall back from the impact. He regained his balance, then lunged forward again, andthe sound of clashing metal filtered through out the large field. Merloch once again blocked Verloch's attack and pushed forward trying to make him lose balance. This time Verloch kept his balance, and with another swift movement, swungforward his sword, both weapons vibrating from the impact.

"STOP IT!" She was getting nearer now. They were paying no heed to her, both of them too enthralled in being victorious, in winning.

Emilie stopped, only metres away. One of them was going to die, she knew it. And it would be all her fault. They wanted her to make the decision, but how could she make the decision? They hadn't given her enough time. She had to stop them…

She lunged forward and grabbed Verloch's arm just as he swung his sword. At the same time Merloch's sword swung in the air. A scream erupted through the field. The fresh grass was stained with an onslaught of blood.

Emilie was dead.

She fell back, her body colliding with the now dark grass. All was silent. The fighting had ceased. All they could do was stare in disbelief.

Both vampires fell to the ground beside the body, their swords behind them, cluttering into the grass.

All was silent save for the soft sound of the wind as it filtered throughout the field.

"She's dead," it was a statement, a whisper. "She's dead…"

Verloch stood up, his face cold. "You killed her."

Merloch shook his head. "She would never have died if it weren't for the both of us."

"I did not kill her! It was you."

"It was the both of us." The statement was final. Verloch slumped back to the ground, his fingers absently trailing over her hair. It was damp, damp with blood.

"It will happen again. History will repeat itself only this time one will emerge victorious. It is a pact, a pact by blood."

Merloch shook his head and placed his thumb on the grass, staining it a dark red. "_Accadrà ancora. La storia si ripeterà soltanto che questo volta uno emergerà victorious. È un patto, un patto da anima."_

Verloch nodded. _"È un patto di anima. _It is a blood pact."

oOOo

__

Holmes Castle

Present Time

"Do you remember the pact now, brother?"

"How could I not remember? With you as a brother who can forget. So, Sarah is the new _anima una?"_

Verloch smirked, then clapped his hand together lightly. "Well done. It is nearly the night of the full moon, brother. Then it will be the time for the decision." Verloch tossed him the keys.

Merloch took the keys. Verloch stepped aside as he exited.

"I will be back, Verloch. And this time, I will win."

Verloch smirked. "_Fino ad allora."_

Merloch stepped out into the night. "_Fino ad allora. _Until then."

oOOo

****

WoOt! I updated faster than usual didn't I? Here are the notes!

Doray; Hi! Of course I'll email you when I update:D I prefer you reviewing me on ffnet rather than an email, makes me get one step closer to 100 and its easier to do the responses this way :D... Anyways, thanks for reviewing! I really appreciate it. I'm glad that my fic excites you. Personally I think it's pretty crap but I prefer not to abandon stuff so I will complete this. J Why don't you get a ffnet account? Its pretty easy. Thanks for reviewing! YOU ROCK!

Keyo-Red Angel of Hope; Heh, yeah. Verloch's evil. Evil twin borthers, glad I never had one. I don't mind that you didn't review the last chapter, my comp always goes on the fritz so I can relate. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked the chapter!

Chisakami Saiyuki; Hmmn, Yeah, the chapter was short. Its hard to write long chapters for this fic. J As for the whole sarah remembering thing, Verloch wasn't exactly taking advantage of her lol, he's not that bad. He was testing her. You'll understand what I mean in a little while. From now on Verloch is probably going to play a bit fair… I think…depends… lol. Thanks for reviewing!

MirokuLover; Heh… did take me ages to update last time, didn't it? This one only took a month, though, so that's good. Wel, I update sooner then all of the other authors on this section so…yeah lol… I'm glad you liked the story!

The Spiked Dragon; You are just so cool. You are like one of my most dedicated reviewers lol… We'll see about the merloch/sarah pairing thing mwahahaha lol:D Don't worry, I'll work it out. I'm glad you're still reading and now you know about the pact…sorta…There will probably be more explanation later. As for now, enjoy!

Time Mistress; :D I'm on your author alerts? I feel all fuzzy inside now, thank you! What story do you want to type out? -shrugs- I've kinda explained what the red roses now mean so…yeah…lol. Hope you like the chapter.

Kendra; I've left you till last because your like my favourite to reply to. Your reviews are so long! Its so brilliant and I love you for it :D. I loved your guess on the pact, that would be an interesting plot line to write. Why don't you get a ffnet account? And write a Merlock, Sara fic, you'd be really good at it. I've never heard of Chrono Crusade (then again I haven't heard of many things) Is it an anime? Btw, do you reckon you could check out my fic on fiction press. Its original fiction and its called Hunter, I go by the exact same penname and comments are always welcome J . Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

That's all from me for now. Hope you guys enjoyed it and remember, I'm only writing this for you guys otherwise I would have stopped LONG ago. :D.

So, REVIEW!


	14. Deja Vu and a Balcony Scene

Wow! I'm really getting the hang of this updating thing. Please enjoy the chapter people. This is where it heats up. J

Chapter 14

Deja Vu anda Balcony Scene

It had been two days since Verloch had told Sara that Merloch had escaped. She had been happy, of course, happy that he had gotten out but a part of her could not help but feel some disappointment. Why hadn't he taken her with him? Was he even going to come back for her, or would he leave her here?

She shrugged, her eyes straying over the vast garden situated beneath her balcony. It was beautiful. A large, thick garden stretching out over miles of green land, a thin spiralling grey path surrounded by clusters of flowers and trees sending shadows cascading over its grey surface. Further away were some more mountains and a large green field and before that was a small wood, on the edge of a mountain.

Cathy had said there was a small lake within that wood, and a waterfall. She was bored today, incredibly bored. She was allowed to go anywhere she wanted, according to Verloch she would not be able to escape, anyway. It was creepy when she thought about it. Was he monitoring her or something? Was he watching her every move?

Sara shuddered inwardly. She liked her privacy, and it was unnerving to think that someone might be watching her every move. Sara made her way to the armoire and pulled it open, fingering through the many gowns within.

That was another thing that unnerved her. For some reason, every time she opened it there would be a whole new rack of dresses and the ones from beforehand would have vanished. She decided on something pink, a light pale baby pink. She then made her way to the small chest of drawers and brushed her hair, coiling it into a high pony.

Sara made her way to the full-length mirror and grimaced. She looked so babyish. She hurriedly made her way to the armoire once again and pulled it open, this time pulling out something darker and more sophisticated. Just because she was trapped in a palace and surrounded by vampires, it didn't mean she should let herself go.

The dress was blue, a sea blue, which reminded her of dolphins. It wasn't that dark but the designing was nicer, more elegant. She pulled off the pink dress and clad herself in the blue. It looked pretty, not too tight but tight enough to compliment her figure. Sara brushed out her hair and redid the pony, sweeping forward a few tendrils to frame her face. She then made her way to the chest of drawers and put on some earrings. Much better.

Now that she looked presentable, she would go and find the waterfall. It sounded childish even as she thought it. Like a five year old wishing to find the leprechaun at the end of the rainbow. She shrugged. This wouldn't take too long, they wouldn't realise she was missing.

Twigs crunched beneath her feet, the damp grass swaying lightly in the breeze. It was cold, extremely cold. And what did she hope to achieve from this? She wanted to look at a waterfall… gods did that sound pathetic to her ear. The castle/palace whatever she had to call it had been tiresome lately, extremely tiresome. She enjoyed it, she could not deny that. It was every girls dream to live like a princess but she knew that she was forgetting something at the back of her mind.

She remembered everything, Tony, Flint, Professor Goodman but it all seemed distant now, detached, like a memory. Which it was, it was a memory, sort of. She didn't mind how she was living right now, it was cosy and exciting but it felt…empty. Merloch had just got up and left, that was what irked her the most. She was alone in a place where she knew no one, and he had just got up and left. It made her angry, but only slightly. She was too tired to be angry.

Finally, she reached the waterfall, a giant gushing waterfall rising and falling then crashing against the rocks beneath in thick spurts of foam. It was beautiful. It was worth it.

She sighed and made her way to a rock on the side, dangling her legs into the water. It was cold, icy to the touch. Yet it was relaxing. She liked it here. She could feel the water lashing over her feet as it exerted a dull numbness, her feet slowly growing pink. But it was still nice, and relaxing.

She bent down, scooping some of the foam into her hand and watching as it seeped through her fingers and back to land. It reminded her of bubble bath, even though it was quite different. She sighed again.

"Enjoying it?"

A voice cut through the silence. She swerved, as her stomach jumped with shock. Verloch stood by a tree on the edge of the clearing.

"It's a nice place, isn't it?" he continued, making his way towards her and seating himself on the rock beside her.

She nodded. "It's nice," she replied, vaguely.

"What? You've seen better?"

She shrugged. "Probably not."

"Then why the choice of adjective? Its better than nice."

Sara rolled her eyes. "Okay, its beautiful. Happy now?"

He laughed lightly. "You're amusing."

She frowned. "What's that meant to mean?"

He smirked. "I like you. You're interesting to hold a conversation with."

Sara stopped herself from blushing. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"It is a compliment," he stated.

"And that's why I'll take it as one."

He rolled his eyes. "You always have to have the last word."

"Quit with the statements, they're unnerving. What do you want?"

"Nothing, really. I got bored and I noticed you were down here, so I thought I'd keep you company. I like it down here, anyway. It's relaxing."

Sara nodded. "It is, isn't it?"

Verloch sighed and leaned back onto the rock. "We used to play here as children, you know."

That caught her attention. "Who?" She knew the answer even as she said the question. But it didn't hurt to ask.

"Me, Merloch and sometimes Anthion. We were young then. Very young. And sometimes Emilie used to join in, though she only stayed with us for a year."

Sara nodded. There was something in his voice, some underlying emotion. As if he was telling her something important, yet she had no idea what it was. She decided to latch onto some of his words, then maybe she would be able to understand the teenage vampire.

"Who is Emilie?"

His expression had been calm, but it changed abruptly as she mentioned the name. He turned his gaze towards her, his eyes fiery. Sara suppressed a shudder. That had been the wrong point to latch onto.

"I don't see that as any of your concern." It was quick, cold, final.

Sara shrugged. She didn't know him well enough to delve. "Whatever."

He was silent once again, just gazing at the foam as it crashed against the rocks, splashing over their legs and sending chills omitting through their bodies.

He looked calmer now, as he began to speak once again. "I'm sorry. It's a personal subject. You'll find out, eventually."

She wasn't sure that she wanted to find out. A sudden thought crossed her mind as the name rang through her head. Emilie.

"The girl in the painting. Is that her?"

"As I said. You'll find out, eventually."

She wanted to pry, really, she did. But she could tell he was not in the best of moods. Instead, she nodded.

"Okay." She wasn't stupid. She recognised the finality in his voice. If he didn't want to talk about it, it was wrong of her to make him.

Sara snuffed the water lightly with the tip of her shoe, watching as the foam smothered her foot, then slowly slipped off and back into the water. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her. Her face was growing hot. Why was he watching her so much? It was unnerving, and embarrassing, and part of her couldn't help but like it.

Merloch had abandoned her. It hit her hard. She had thought he cared, and he had just got up and abandoned her. He didn't even bother sending her a message. He just got up and left and there was no guarantee he would come back. Not that she minded, really. She was beginning to like this place. It was so nice, and calming. And there was no responsibility. Anyway, Verloch had promised that when the weather got better, they would go out some more instead of staying cooped up so much.

"Do you want to go inside now? It is getting cold." His voice cut through the silence. Sara nodded. He was right, it was getting cold.

She slipped off of the rock and followed him as he made his way back to the castle.

oOOo

Night had fallen hours ago; the sky shrouded a deep black dotted with a few small stars, marring its perfect surface.

Sara lay in bed, the sound of the clock ticking filling her ears. She couldn't sleep, and it was only a minute or so until midnight. Torrents of rain lashed against the glass door of the balcony, like hundreds of pebbles hitting a hard surface.

She heard a sudden sound. A harsher pattering. Sara jerked up, her ears alert. It was coming from the balcony. A sudden overwhelming fear clenched her stomach, like an unseen hand clasping at her insides. She wanted to just stay there and pretend it never came.

Then she heard it again.

Sara slipped out of bed, her fingers coiling with the ribbons of her thin, white nightgown. Curiosity killed the cat. Too bad she wasn't a cat.

Sara made her way to the balcony door and gently pulled it open. A fresh gust of cold air beat against her skin, sending chills omitting down her spine. She stepped out onto the balcony; her thin dress barely posing as a barrier from the cold. Rain lashed against her face, her body, her hands, but she chose to ignore it.

Sara leaned her head over the balcony and spotted a figure, clad in a thick, dark cloak. She felt her stomach jump, then cartwheel inside of her.

"Sara! The vine!"

Sara nodded and scoured her eyes over the balcony. The vine. What was the vine? Just then, she spotted a thick, lank vine, coiled over the top of one of the banisters. She made her way towards it, careful not to slip over the wet marble.

Sara threw it over the side and watched as Merloch made his way up it. He was fast. Incredibly fast. She had never realised until now how fast he really was.

He reached the tope, his figure sending blurred shadows across the dark marble. He jumped onto the balcony and landed before her with feline agility. Slowly, he drew the hood from his cloak and looked towards her, their eyes meeting.

Merloch smiled lightly, tilting his head to the side. "Hey."

Sara opened her mouth to reply, but only managed to shudder violently. His smile changed into a frown. "Damn. We better get you inside, it's freezing."

She nodded and turned, making her way through the doors of the balcony. He followed, quickly. And shut the doors behind them.

Sara hurriedly made her way to the door of the room and locked it.

"Why are you locking it?"

Sara shook her head and made her way to the dressing table, pulling out a box of matches. She pulled out a match and stroked it against the side of the box, watching as the small flame flickered to life over the wood. She lit the candle beside her bed and lifted it up.

"Why are you here? What if Verloch catches you? That's the point of escaping, isn't it? The point is that you get away and they don't catch you."

Merloch shook his head and took the candle from her hands, placing it on the dressing table. He then took both of her hands in his, and kissed her knuckles lightly.

"He won't catch me." As he said this something flickered over his face, an emotion that she could barely make out under the wavering candlelight.

Sara frowned. "What's wrong?"

Merloch shook his head. "Nothing. Déjà vu. Ignore me."

Sara opened her mouth, about to say something when he brought forward one of his fingers and placed it on her lips, silencing her.

"Don't look so worried. You've locked the door. He can't go through walls, you know."

Sara pulled her hand from his grasp and shook her head, turning her back towards him and making her way to the other side of the room.

"He could still catch you, you know."

Merloch shook his head and made his way towards her, placing his hands around her neck.

"Don't be so tense," he whispered, his breath tingling her ear.

He kissed her ear, gently. His mouth brushed her neck, his lips smiling against her skin.

"Merloch…"

"Shh." His voice silenced her as he continued to kiss her neck, his fingers tracing her collarbone.

Sara twisted away and turned to face him. "He's going to come in. You're going to get caught."

She could see his eyes narrow under the wavering candlelight. Before she could add anything, he grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him. Their foreheads touched, his eyes were fiery, angry?

"You've locked the door." It was a statement, he was angry. She could feel his breath against her face but before she could respond, he bent down and brushed his lips against hers lightly. Sara pulled back slightly, blushing. He leaned forward once again and kissed her.

His hands ran through her hair, drenched with rain, his fingers cold to the touch. His lips parted hers, kissing her gently. He pulled back for a breath then dipped his head back again. His lips had warmed instantly the moment they touched hers. She thought she was in heaven, until he moved and brushed his lips against hers again, and again, and again.

He was teasing her, making her want more, and it was working. When she tried to

pull away, he wouldn't let her, following her quietly with mouth until she was lost under his spell. His mouth slowly cajoled hers to open. His hands were coarse, but gentle, holding hers against the wall. When did that happen? Even so, she would have been unable to move if lightning had struck them. Maybe it did already and she didn't know it...

She heard a clap of thunder in the distance. Merloch pulled away suddenly, both of them gasping for breath.

He turned. "I better be leaving now."

Sara reached out and grabbed his arm. He turned back, their eyes meeting. "You will be back, right?"

Merloch tilted his head to the side and took her other hand. He ran a hand through her hair and smoothed it out, gently kissing her forehead.

"I came back this time, didn't I?"

She nodded. "What are you planning?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out," he stated.

She frowned. "It involves me just as much as it involves you."

"I never said it didn't."

"Then tell me."

"Not now. You yourself said that Verloch could come at any time. You don't want me to get caught, do you?"

Her frown deepened. "Don't use my own words against me. Now unless you're intending to stay, I suggest you leave right now. I'm tired and I need my sleep. Anyway, I need to change or else I'll catch a cold seeing as _someone _made me stand outside in the rain."

Merloch arched one of his eyebrows. "I didn't force you to come to the balcony," he replied.

He made his way back to the balcony. "Good night, Sara."

He was a silhouette in the rain, his cloak a shield in the darkness.

"Goodnight."

But he was already gone.

oOOo

Wow. That was WAY longer than usual. And there was some characterization that I don't usually bother with in this. -shrugs- oh well, adds drama, right?

Here are the responses and you know I love each and every one of you -huggles- I write only for you. J

Also, as a side note thing, I have an account on **and I go by the same penname Hotkitty, therefore I would be extremely grateful if you guys could take the time to check out my original fiction, which is called Hunter, (ignore to the future, I'm not going to go back to that in years) thank you! Bye and I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. **

MirokuLover; Hi! Wow:D. I've read the vampire diaries by L J Smith and I am ashamed to admit I nicked the foundation of that chapter from those novels -blushes- I was just hoping no one else would notice. It is fan fiction, right? So nothings copyright on here. Hehe. Ahem -coughs- nah, I doubt this is better than that. THOSE books kiked ass! I loved that series but I didn't know anyone else who'd read them. Wow, I'm (still) in love with Damon, Stefan's brother (trust me to go for the evil one) and the thing about Elenna dying WAS SO SAD! I actually planned a book way before I read Vampire Diaries, it was called Hidden and it too was about vampires. When I read vampire diaries, however, I discovered that the plot lines were like almost exactly the same! Grrh, that really put me off that did. Someone published my idea before I had a chance to write it. Oh well, I'm going to change the plot around for that so its not too similar since I did not plagiarize but, yeah, with this I did plagiarize just a lil, -cough- gad, I'm rambling now. I heart you because you're such a brilliant reviewer and I hope you enjoy the chapter! -huggles-

AnimeFan; Um, the blue haired guy is Merloch and the red haired girl is Sara so lol, like, this fic is kinda focused on that coupling :D. There are a few Sara/Merloch things on this site, not many though. That's why I'm writing one. There are actually quite a lot but most of them have been abandoned. Don't worry, though. I won't abandon this. I enjoy writing it. It pushes me out of writers block :D. Your first time on the site? Wow. I don't know how long I've been on this place, seems like forever and I'm not really that old either. This is a good site, it has its crap stuff and its good stuff, you just need to know where to look. Have you ever been on fiction press? Its brilliant that site is, its more centred around original fiction. I've got the link in my author note up there where I'm (shamelessly) advertising one of my original pieces of work. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for reviewing!

AerinM; Heya! Long time no talk, eh? I haven't seen you around for ages. I missed you -frowns- how you been? Don't worry about taking so long, we all get busy -nods- and I'm glad you got round to reading. I hope you like this chapter and welcome back!

Doray; Hi! Thanks for all your emails; you're such a wicked person! It makes me feel all bubbly knowing someone's been taking the time to send me personalised email messages (I'm pathetic, I know) Awww, I'm sorry if I brought up any unwelcome memories. -frowns- do you have msn? If so please add me or give me your addie and we can chat sometime and if you ever need anyone to talk to about anything I'm always here, just drop me a message (although msn is much easier) and I'll always reply. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'm ever conscious of your vote, I hope this was enough Sara/Merloch in this chapter for you. Enjoy!

TheSpikedDragon; Hello! How you been? Thank you for all your reviews, they are greatly appreciated. I'm glad you're starting to understand about the blood pact, there's loads more to come explanation wise (I think) awww, I'm glad you think this rocks. You don't know how much those words mean to me :D. I hope you have a nice day and enjoy the chapter.

Chisakami Saiyuki; hi! See, I heeded your request and made the chapter longer, clap me:D it's the longest I've ever done I think. I'm quit proud of myself. The whole verloch/merloch pact thing will be explained in time, don't worry if you don't get it just yet. I've updated way sooner this time, so I hope you enjoy

Keyo-Red Angel of Hope; Last but certainly not least. Heya:D im glad you found it sad (I'm morbid, I know) it was meant to be, therefore I have fulfilled my purpose. I haven't actually seen Rurouni Kenshin (The UK, which is where I live, has practically no anime so we have to make do with what we get) so I wouldn't really get the comparison. LOL, the sword thing never crossed my mind when I wrote it, how would they kill each other if they're vampires? I'll sort that out, thanks for pointing it out to me. I feel thick now. :D. Hmmn, who's Moliarty? Sorry, I know I'm clueless. Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

To everyone I've replied to (and anyone I have unintentionally missed out, I'M SORRY IF I'VE MISSED ANYONE OUT) Thank you for reviewing, your reviews really are a highlight to my days. :D. And if anyone wants to talk to me personally, my msn addies on my bio so just drop me a line and state who you are and we can chat. Bye for now, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!


	15. The beginning of the end

**I'm quite pleased with this one and, though it doesn't really move anywhere much it's a suitable opening for the next chapter. I kind of lost my steam nearer to the end, therefore its got less happening then I would have liked and the writing style wavers a bit nearer to the end. Other than that, I think it's fine. Heh. Also considering that it's been AGES since I last updated. I write this for you, my reviewers, and for no one else and you guys are the only reason I haven't abandoned this. So I hope you'll enjoy!**

**Also, as a side note (I've no idea how many times I've said this) It would be grately appreciated if any of you guys could check out my fic on fictionpress 'Hunter' I go by the same penname so it's not that hard to find and I probably update more frequently. **

**Now, with that all said, on with the chapter! (replies at the bottom) **

* * *

**Chapter 15**

The sun danced upon the horizon; a red rolling disk in the distance bathed in luminescent light, surrounded by hundreds of colours blurring from its edges. The land was dull, hazy, the sun spilling over its surface and blurring the landscape, sending an omniscient orange glow cascading from its edges and rising into the dense morning air. A hill rose before the sun, bathed in a dull orange light, the grass tinged a pale green from the wavering sunlight cascading over its surface.

Its vintage point was shadowed. Something dark and blurred was silhouetted by the pale light of the rising sun. A dark blur –a horse- and a figure, slowly approaching, cutting through the air at a rampant speed as it approached the town, the castle behind it a mere dot upon the horizon.

The figure stopped its horse, pulled the reins, a soft neighing sound filtering across the hill and echoing through the air. He jumped off, landing upon the grass with feline agility, then pulled at the reins once again, bowed the horse down, and sat upon the edge of the hill; overlooked the wide expanse of land stretching beneath him.

It looked so calm, so peaceful, basked in a silent serenity and overcome by a pale, white glow dancing from its edges and submerging it in an innocent haze. It was like light, light being fed into the edges and slowly disappearing as it reached the centre, slowly being overcome by darkness and a thick layer of fear and mistrust.

They were his people –his country.

What right had he had to just leave them like that? To just leave them to his brother?

Had he really been that selfish –that naïve?

What had he done?

Merloch ran his hand through the grass, coiling a single blade beneath his fingertips and tearing it out, ripping it into shreds, then digging once again for another. It was like a cycle: pull, tear, shred, drop, then pull once again. It was almost instinctive, as if his hands knew what to do and his brain had no linkage to his actions, to his thoughts, to his movements. It was all just instinct.

Had everything just been instinct?

Had it always been instinct?

How could he have been so stupid, so thoughtless, so cold?

Had he really thought that just by running away from it all, by leaving it behind, it would disappear –cease to exist?

Had he really been so self centred that he had thought his actions would hold no consequence, that his actions would affect only him and have no impact upon those around him?

And now everyone was involved, now everyone had to pay for _his _mistakes, for _his _idiocy, for _his_ cowardliness. He was on the edge of a cliff, watching the water foam beneath him, rise and crash against the rocks in thick torrents before slowly diminishing and rising once again in a never ending cycle. But the cycle had to end. He had to _make _it end. He had to _pay _for his mistakes –he had to solve it, because he knew that he was the only one who could.

Because of him, everyone was now a part of the pact –the blood pact. Everyone was involved in a feud between him and his twin brother, a feud from hundreds of years ago. Everyone: the people of his country, the bureau of time, Flint, Dr. Goodman, Dr. Grey, Tony…Sara. Especially Sara; he had pulled her into this mess and now it was up to him to take her out, no matter what.

He was the only one who could solve this; the only one who could end it. And he had to act fast –act now.

Merloch heaved himself up off of the grass and swung his legs over the horse, slowly mounting its rigid back. His eyes strayed over the town, once, twice. He grinned and pulled at the reins, allowing the air to lash against his hair, basking in its coolness.

He had a plan.

* * *

**oOOooooooooooooOOo**

Sara stretched her arms, yawned and gently kicked off the blankets. She slipped out of bed and made her way toward the balcony, pulling open the curtains and stepping out onto its smooth exterior. Her bare feet brushed against the cool marble, the coldness tingling her soles and sending a soft chill reverberating through her feet, her legs.

She sighed and leaned against the railing, allowing the cool morning breeze to lash against her face and send her hair dancing beneath its inferno, dancing like waves crashing against the rocks and falling back into the sea. The fresh air tingled her nose, washed through her nostrils and sent a cool chill omitting through her body.

"You're up early."

Sara pivoted, suddenly, then retained her calm demeanour and leaned against the railing, her arms folded.

"Don't you just love the morning, Cathy?"

Cathy raised an eyebrow and folded the loose dress hanging from her arms, once, twice. She placed it onto the bed and made her way towards the wardrobe, her eyes straying over the clothes rail.

"You won't find any hangers in there. The clothes change every time you open it."

"You're very…happy, today."

Sara grinned. "And why does that come as a surprise?"

Cathy shrugged, then closed the wardrobe and leaned against its exterior, imitating Sara's pose. "It's…unusual."

"And why is that?"

She shrugged again and made her way to the bed, lifting up the neatly folded dress lay upon it. "It just is."

"Elaborate."

"You're usually really…thoughtful. And you dwell a lot, especially recently. Ever since Merloch escaped, that is."

Sara grinned once again and made her way back inside, slumping onto the bed. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

Cathy frowned. "What do you mean by 'okay'?"

Sara sighed, then grinned broadly. "I mean, okay, I get your point."

Cathy creased her brows, then made her way to the bed and sat beside Sara.

"No…" she began. "You mean 'okay I'm okay with the answer you gave, Cathy, because it's so far from the truth that I'm okay with it,' right?"

Sara frowned and picked up a pillow, then gently hit Cathy with it. "Since when did you become so unusually analytical?"

"Since when did _you _become so unusually hyper?"

"Since last night."

Cathy's eyes widened as Sara let out a small gasp and covered her mouth. She picked up another pillow and hit her with it.

"You can't hide anything from Clever Cathy." Cathy grinned.

Sara frowned. "I'm not hiding anything from you," she replied.

"What happened last night?"

Sara glared. "Nothing happened last night."

Cathy rolled her eyes. "_Something _happened last night. Otherwise, you wouldn't have admitted to last night making you happy."

"I didn't admit to anything."

Cathy rolled her eyes, again, and once again hit Sara with the pillow. "You know that I'm going to get it out of you, so quit dancing around the subject otherwise you'll be late for breakfast."

Sara got up and made her way to the armoire, rummaging through its contents and pulling out a dress. She made her way towards the full-length mirror and held it before herself, surveying her reflection.

"I'm getting used to these. Like, before, it seemed so weird not to wear jeans and tracksuit bottoms but now… I kind of like them. The dresses, I mean."

Cathy furrowed her brows. "Number one, I have no _idea _what a 'jean' is and number two, quit dancing around the subject!"

Sara grinned and twirled before the mirror. "Oh but, Cathy, _darling, _I'm standing perfectly still. Does it _look _to you as if I am submerging in more aesthetically pleasing movements?"

Cathy groaned. "You're not going to put me off by using big words, you know. I'm not so easily swayed."

"I never said that you are."

Cathy rolled her eyes. "The Master is expecting you for breakfast, _milady. _So quit wasting time and tell me already."

Sara quickly stripped off her night gown and pulled on the dress, then made her way to mirror and worked a brush through her hair, wrenching out the many knots that had accumulated themselves throughout the night.

"I told you, I have nothing to tell."

Cathy ran her hands over the dress, which was neatly folded in her arms. Her eyes strayed over the room, once, twice, then stopped. "Why is there a large path of water beneath the door of your balcony?"

Sara tugged at her hair, the brush cutting through it harshly, causing her to bite her lip in pain. "It was probably raining last night and the water must have seeped in beneath the door."

Cathy opened her mouth, about to say something, then stopped, finally deciding not to breach the subject any further. "Do you want any help with your hair?"

Sara handed her the brush in reply, and she hurriedly pulled it into a neat braid. "Let's go and have breakfast."

Sara nodded. "Yeah, okay."

And with that they left.

* * *

**oOOooooooooooooooooOOo**

Sara rotated her spoon, her eyes cast over the hundreds of ripples as they cascaded across the surface of her bowl, strayed to the edges and slowly disappeared. Cathy's footsteps echoed through a heavy silence, accompanied by the heavy clanging of a few plates as she lay out the table.

"Did you sleep well?"

Sara looked up, caught off guard for a moment, then replied, "Yes, why do you ask?"

Verloch shrugged, then leaned back into his seat, his breakfast lay their, neglected. "The weather –it was far from pleasant."

She coiled her fingers over the end of the spoon, clutched it tightly and stirred once again. "Oh, was it? I didn't notice."

The hall was once again basked in a thick coat of silence, before Verloch decided to speak up once again.

"We had a visitor last night."

Sara kept her eyes downcast, her grip upon the spoon tightening. "Who?"

"Merloch."

The heavy sound of dishes crashing to the floor filtered through the room, followed by a gasp. Sara turned her gaze, her eyes meeting with Cathy's.

"I'm sorry, sir. They slipped."

Verloch cast his gaze over her bent form as she gently brushed the broken shards onto her apron. He opened his mouth, about to say something, then decided against it and instead replied, "Get it cleaned up quickly."

Cathy nodded, her eyes never leaving Sara's.

She knew. Cathy knew.

Sara turned her attention back to her breakfast and stirred once again.

_You better have something up your sleeve, Merloch. _

* * *

**oOOoooooooooooOOo**

Hoof beats pounded against the rough earth, shouts echoing through the small bazaar as a single horse hurtled through the crowd, slicing through the air like a knife cutting through flesh. A figure was cloaked in black, a hood concealing his features, the tail of his cloak flying behind him as he purged deeper into the centre of the bazaar.

_"Follow me." _

A whisper echoed through the crowd, mesmerized them, entranced them, sent their minds dancing to a soft tune like the fatal melody of the Pied Piper.

_"Follow me."_

Their eyes scoured over the figure, over and over again, the recognition barely dawning, a faint wisp of smoke searing atop a candle, waiting for the fire, waiting to be lit and to crackle above the soft wax. They followed him, their legs moving without accord, or maybe they were moving willingly, maybe they were drawn to the soft melody of the voice playing in their ears, coveting their minds and purging them with this deep sensation, this necessity for more.

A small stage was set out in the centre of the bazaar, a stage constructed of dozens of thick planks of wood strewn haphazardly atop a few old stands. The reins of the horse were pulled, a soft neighing sound issuing throughout the centre of the bazaar as the figure jumped off and made his way toward the stage. He mounted it, slowly; all eyes trained upon him, watching his every movement.

Why were they drawn here?

What did he do?

Was he a sorcerer –a magician?

What was he promising them? What was the promise of the melody they had heard –the two words laced with so much, yet so little?

Who was he?

He took the centre of the stage, the air basked with a thick coating of anxiety. All was silent, like a vacuum, a vacuum stretching out to the deepest corners of space. His footsteps echoed throughout the bazaar, all eyes trained on him, and then he stopped.

He pulled off his hood, and grinned.

* * *

**Yes, yes. I know that not much happened. But as I said at the top, I lost steam nearer to the end and I found I couldn't write decently if I continued. So you'll have to be patient. I'll try and update faster this time, depends on my schedule :D. Bloodpact's nearing an end, it'll probably go to about twenty chapters. So I hope you guys will stick with me until then!**

Chisakami Saiyuki;** LOl. We'll see about Verloch finding out what happened, and sorry that I didn't grant your second wish. I took quite a long time on updating this –frowns- but I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

The Spiked Dragon;** Oooh. You gave me three reviews, or are there three spiked dragons? I'm not sure. Oh well. I'll reply to all three reviews. :D. I'm glad that you think this rocks. –blushes- personally, I reckon it's pretty sh-t heh. But I decided to continue it cause I don't like leaving things unfinished, and I only do so in the most dyer of circumstances. We'll see about the pairings. J most people want Sara/Merloch. And thanks for saying this rules J comments like that put a smile on my face.**

Doray;** Oooh, light and not very heart pounding? Nice. Heh. I'm glad I managed to write a chapter like that. Girl, duh, of course I'd consider your vote. :D. You're my reviewer and first andforemost one of my coolest friends. And now you have msn –sticks out tongue- so we can talk whenever we catch each other online. I have no idea why I'm the first to call you wicked…'cause you're really wicked so you deserve to be called it as much as possible. :D.**

MirokuLover;** I don't think that Vampire diaries has a fourth one, I think it's only a trilogy. It didn't mention anything about a fourth, anyway. Hmmn. Aww, you're so nice. Lol, damon was brilliant. Part of me actually wanted him to go with Elenna instead of Stefan. Not that I didn't love Stefan, it's just Damon was so hott. Heh. Lol. I'm weird like that. Yeah, there are quite a lot of good things on the internet compared to published stuff. Have you ever been on fictionpress? There's some wicked stuff on there. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thNx for your review!**

Dutch Cheshire Cat; **I'm glad you liked it . Yeah, my style has progressed a lot since I started with this. I started writing this over two years ago I think…so…yeah…J. It's funny for me to look back at the earlier chapters and at how badly I used to write. I'm glad you think I've improved, that's really nice to hear and it makes me happy. :D. as pathetic as that does sound. I write on fictionpress too, you see. And I write there more than I do here so this fic is more like a way for me to get out of writers block than anything else. J. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for your review! It was short but it made my day!**

22RnB22; **Lemon? Nah. I probably won't put one in. it would totally undermine the fic and ruin it. As for a threesome, hell no. lol. That just would not work. Anyway, that sort of stuff creeps me out. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reviewing.**

I'm sorry if I missed anyone out and if I did, be sure to let me know! And I'll give you double replies next chapter and a line of sorries :D.


	16. A plan and a replacement

**I'm SO sorry for the long wait everyone. I've been really unmotivated. But I'll really really try my best to update again soon. I really will. Please be patient with me. And please review. **

**The replies are pretty short but I'm seriously rushed right now. I'm really really really sorry everyone. I feel SO guilty. **

**22rnb22: lol! You're review seriously made me laugh. I've got a bit of lime-ish content in this chapter. Heh. SO I hope you like it and thanks for your review.**

**Kendra: Aww. Thankyou. Yeah, I have seriously improved since the beginning of this (at least, I hope I have) this story kind of tracks my progress when it comes to writing. Nice word…eloquent. Hehe. I write eloquently. Thankyou! And thanks for all of the advice. I'll seriously keep it all in mind. I don't really bother much with this fic, truthfully. I mean, I'm way more concerned with my original fiction and this is like a practice thing for me. Yeah, that guy was Merloch. :grins: Do you ever read on fictionpress? I absolutely loved your review. You made me smile so much. I'd give you a longer response but I'm really rushed at the moment and I just want to get this out. Thanks again!**

**The Spiked Dragon: I'm glad you like the story. As for the pairing, it's all been figured out so you'll just have to wait and see.**

**Chisakami**** Saiyuki: Aww. I'm sorri. This one's pretty short, too. But the next one will probabli be longer. I've been really dry for inspiration on this recently so I just need to get back into it. I started writing this chapter straight after I wrote the last one so the ending is pretty abrupt. But I promise I'll try and make the next one longer and update as soon as I can. I really appreciate your support. **

**Doray****: lol. Omigasp! Way too many big words. You review hurt my head. Haha. But ive a feeling that that was your intention. Yep, we'll definitely get to chat one of these days. Time zones are evil but we can work it out.**

**Chapter 16**

_He pulled off his hood, and grinned._

Hundreds of gasps filtered through out the centre of the town, skittering across the surface like ripples in a lake, reaching the edges then slowly diminishing upon approaching the outer circle.

Merloch cast his gaze over the crowd, once, twice, his hands running over the edge of his cloak, fingering the soft material, allowing it to flow between his fingertips. He had to speak quickly, before they assumed anything, or before they got any ideas. He couldn't risk for them to make guesses, because a single guess could set their state of mind and if they had an idea fixed in their heads, they would be harder to sway.

"People of …the town." His voice echoed through the crowd, silencing them and drawing their attention.

They watched him, calculating, waiting to hear what he would say, ready to catch a slip up and use it to their advantage.

Had all these years with Verloch as a ruler really taught them to mistrust this deeply?

He could see it etched in their features, dancing between their eyelids: that overwhelming mistrust, that searching for an ulterior motive. He had to be careful of his choice of words. If he slipped up once, he had slipped up forever. There were no second chances. It was now or never.

"My name is Merloch-" Another ripple of gasps, then silence "-I am the twin brother of Verloch, the current ruler of this country." Nods of affirmation, recognition maybe? "I know how my brother has been treating you and how scared you are of his force of vampires: Odaiyya and his crew. And I'm here to help you; give you back what is rightfully yours. I know I've been gone for a long time, for those of you who remember me, but now I'm back. And I'm ready, ready to fight. Fight for you, the people, and fight for this country. But to do that I need _your _support, because I cannot fight this battle alone. And I need to know if you're with me, because if you're not, then I'll just leave it and return from where I came and I won't come back. So whoever is with me, step forward."

Merloch took a deep breath. This was it. If no one came forward he would have to do it the hard way, on his own. If they came forward, then they could work together and he wouldn't be on his own. He owed this to them, as his people, and he owed it to himself.

A thick blanket of silence enshrouded the many figures as they stood in the crowd, waiting for someone to move, anyone. There was a slight rustling, then a voice as a man stepped forward.

James.

"I'm with you."

Merloch smiled, lightly. So he hadn't forgotten about them. There were murmurs within the crowd, then another man stepped forward.

"Me to."

Then another, and another, and another until half of the crowd had stepped forward, then three quarters.

"I'll call my cousins from a nearby town! We'll all help. We want our country back!"

There were hundreds of shouts of agreement.

Merloch's grin widened.

_Only a little longer, Sara, then I'll get you out._

oOOo

Sara grinned, her eyes resting over the thick torrents of water as they lashed against the rocks, unleashing their rampant inferno then diminishing before being replaced by more waves. She loved it here. It was so peaceful, so calm, yet it held a harsh quality: something harder, more concrete, more realistic. It was like watching a battle, a never ending battle of the waters.

She pulled off her shoe, circling her bare foot in the water and watching the ripples as they cascaded across its surface. It made her foot feel cold, cold and numb, yet she loved it. Her foot looked paler beneath the water, cleaner, purer.

Sara pulled off her second shoe and placed both feet in the water, lifting up her toes and watching as the cold water dripped down onto the soft grass. She undid her braid, shaking her hair and letting it dance beneath the wind like a flame flickering over wood. She grinned, what a contrast: Fire with water.

Sara slipped off of the bank and dipped her feet into the water, slowly wading through it and delighting in the cool rush which tingled through her body.

If only everything could be this peaceful forever.

"I can tell that you enjoy this place."

Sara's stomach jumped with shock as she turned, only to see Verloch perched on one of the rocks.

He grinned. "Did I scare you?"

She frowned. "No. Whatever gave you _that _idea?"

"You jumped."

"It was a rhetorical question."

"But I chose to answer it. Therefore, it's no longer rhetorical."

Sara fingered a strand of her hair, coiling it over the tips, then let it fall back. "Why are you here?"

"Why shouldn't I be here?"

"I didn't say that you shouldn't be here."

Verloch shrugged. "But you implied it."

"It's wrong to predict what another person means." She fingered another lock of hair, coiling it between her fingers once again.

He ran a hand over the base of the rock, then flung his legs into the water, causing it to splash and ripple. "And don't you ever do what's wrong?"

Sara shrugged and ran a hand over the surface of the water, watching as it broke beneath her fingertips. "I never said that I didn't do anything wrong."

"Then you can't tell me off for what's wrong, because you do things that are wrong all the time."

She shook her head. "Just because _I_ do things that are wrong, it doesn't mean that you have an excuse to. You can't always follow the examples of others."

He waded through the water and made his way towards her, leaning beside her. "And why can't you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because you should retain your individuality and you should be able to judge the difference between right and wrong for yourself."

Verloch grinned and ran a hand through his damp hair, brushing off a few bangs which had strayed into his eyes. "And what if you _can't _judge for yourself?"

Sara shrugged. "Then I guess that makes you stupid."

"So are you saying that a person is stupid for not being able to understand something?"

She shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant."

"But it's what you implied."

She frowned. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"The whole implying thing," she replied, annoyed.

He smirked. "I know."

She rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."

"And so are you."

She smiled, lightly. "Then I guess that makes us the same."

He yawned. "I guess it does."

A thick silence once again encompassed them, their eyes resting on the waves as the water beat against their legs. Sara ran her finger through it, watching the ripples cascade over its surface, once, twice.

"Don't you find it cold here?"

Sara shrugged. "I don't know. Do you?"

"I'm a vampire. I don't get cold," he replied, pointedly. "And how can you not know whether you are cold or not?"

Sara shrugged, again, then replied, "When I go in the water, the first step is cold, but then my body gets used to the temperature. Whilst I'm in there I don't feel cold but when I get out I do. So I'm not sure if it makes me feel cold."

Verloch nodded. "Fair enough. It's getting late –nearly lunchtime. Shall we be heading back?"

Sara dipped her hand in the water and watched as it trickled from her fingertips. She shrugged. "I like it here…"

Verloch rolled his eyes. "You're going to catch a cold."

She sighed. "I don't really care."

Another silence encompassed them for a moment, before he asked, "And why is that?"

She shrugged. "Must there be a reason for everything?"

Verloch coiled a lock of her hair between his fingers, reminding her of how close they were. "Where you're concerned, yes."

She decided to ignore him, to not allow him to be aware of her discomfort and instead replied, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Merely that you're an extremely reasonable person." He moved his hand from her hair, allowing it to stray over her cheek and brush the skin, lightly.

Sara frowned. "What are you _doing_?"

"What do _you _think?"

Before she could reply, he ducked his head and kissed her. His lips parted hers, slowly, as he pushed her against the wall of rock, a spray of water tumbling down upon them and soaking her to the bone.

Sara pushed him back, catching him off guard for a moment and separating his lips from hers. But before she could do anything else he had dived down again, capturing her lips for a second time. She began to push again but was met with equal force as he pushed her further against the rocky edge. His lips parted hers once more as he penetrated her mouth, kissing her slowly.

After a few moments he pulled away. Their eyes met. A sudden wave of emotion rocked her body. She felt dizzy and light headed and her vision was blurry.

All she could see were his eyes.

His hand brushed over her cheek, pulling a stray lock of hair from before her eyes. He brought his head down again, their foreheads touching.

And all she could see were his eyes…

He brought his lips to her neck, kissing her gently. His fingers trailed over her shoulder. He pulled down some of her sleeve and kissed her shoulder, then moved back to her neck. Sara suppressed a shudder.

Why had she stopped pushing him away?

He stopped kissing her neck, then kissed her cheek lightly. He brought his lips to hers once again. She tilted her head, allowing him entry. He seemed surprised for a moment, before he continued to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and dug her hands in his hair. His grip tightened, his fingers running circles around her waist as he pushed her further up the rocky edge.

They pulled away, both gasping for air, then dived in once again and kissed each other slowly. The water tumbled onto them, soaking her hair and drenching her skin. His fingers dug into her waist as he tightened his grip once again. She ran her left hand over the side of his chest, then beneath his shirt. She felt his hand stray across her back as he began to gently nibble at her bottom lip. His fingers clasped over the back of her dress as he pulled some of it down, exposing her shoulders.

She could feel the cold water lash against her bare skin accompanied by his lips as they trailed over her shoulder, his finger tracing patterns over her back. She tilted her head, allowing him to kiss her neck as her fingers ran over the skin beneath his shirt. She found the top button of his shirt and undid it as he continued to kiss her neck. His hand met hers. He pulled her toward him and pressed his forehead against hers, their lips barely centimetres away.

"I don't think this is really the best place for this, do you?"

He kissed her hand. She flushed, then shivered. He ran a hand over her bare shoulders, brushing them lightly. "It's pretty cold, so we better get you in."

Sara nodded and stepped forward. He pulled off his cape and wrapped it around her, then pulled her toward him and kissed her once again. She let out a moan as he penetrated her mouth, wreaking havoc upon her senses. Before she could properly respond, he had pulled away.

They made their way back to the castle.

When they finally reached her room, Verloch stopped her.

He ran a hand through his damp hair. His gaze was fiery. He leaned against the far wall and ran his eyes over her.

"What?" She shuffled her feet.

He pushed himself up. "Don't use me as a replacement for my brother."

Before she could reply, he left.

oOOo


End file.
